OCR  HEROES  OF  DESTINY 


DEDICATION 

HOW  many  people  know  that  there  are  Negroes  who 
are  paying  more  than  $100,000  a  year  income  tax? 
Or  that  a  Negro  is  among  the  foremost  American 
critics  of  current  verse  ?  Or  that  a  Colored  man  won  the 
first  scholarship  granted  an  American  composer  of  music 
by  the  French  School  of  Musical  Studies  in  Paris  ?  Or  that 
Chicago's  first  settler  wasji_Negro _?  Or  that  a  regiment  of 
Colored  soldiers  in  the  late  war  won  more  decorations  for 
bravery  than  any  other  American  unit  ? 

America  has  failed  to  understand  a  loyal  and  dependable 
group  consisting  of  12,000,000  of  her  own  citizens. 
Frederick  Douglass,  Paul  Lawrence  Dunbar  and  Cole- 
ridge-Taylor are  names  unknown  to  the  millions  of  her 
school  children. 

To  them  this  book  is  dedicated,  that  they  may  read  and 
learn,  and  thus  come  to  a  wholesome  understanding  and 
appreciation  of  what  has  been  accomplished  in  spite  of  the 
handicap. 


ROBERT  RUSSIA   MOTON. 

Successor  to  Booker  T.  Washington  as  Principal  of  Tuskegee 

Institute. 

!C>    C.    M.    Bnttey. 


INTRODUCTION 


TO  THE  NEW  EDITION 

No  race  in  such  a  limited  period  and  under  such  trying 
circumstances  has  ever  made  more  progress  than  has 
been  made  by  the  Negro  in  the  United  States  of  America. 
Instead  of  being  discouraged  over  the  conditions  over 
which  he  had  no  control,  the  Negro  has  simply  faced  the 
situation,  forged  ahead,  and  written  on  the  pages  of  his- 
tory a  record  which  has  challenged  the  attention  and 
respect  of  the  entire  civilized  world. 

It  is  significant  that  just  at  this  time  a  great  deal  of  at- 
tention is  being  given  to  the  matter  of  not  merely  record- 
ing the  stories  of  Negro  progress,  but  also  placing  them 
before  the  public.  I  am  certain  that  such  printed  records 
will  serve  to  inspire  the  future  generations  of  the  Negro 
as  well  as  to  enlighten  the  children  of  other  races  as  to  the 
history  of  colored  people,  thereby  giving  them  a  larger 
and  more  sympathetic  view  of  all  human  problems.  It  is 
for  that  reason  that  I  believe  that  the  revised  edition  of 
the  "Progress  of  a  Race,"  which  the  publishers^  are  pre- 
paring, will  fill  a  much  needed  want.  Divided  into  three 
great  major  topics, — Education,. Business  and  Religion, 
— this  story  of  Negro  progress  should  commend  itself 
to  the  American  reading  public,  and  I  bespeak  for  this 
volume  a  most  cordial  and  favorable  consideration. 

ROBERT  R.  MOTON. 

TUSKEGEE  INSTITUTE, 

ALABAMA. 
March  30,  1920. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER.  .  PAGE. 

INTRODUCTION,  IIY  ROBERT  RUSSIA  MOTON 5 

I.     HISTORY  OF   THK    RACE 13-32 

II.    SLAVERY    33-59 

•—•"III.    NEGRO  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 61-72 

IV.     ANTI-SLAVERY  AGITATION    73-88 

V.    FUGITIVE  SLAVE  LAWS 89-105 

VI.    THE  NEGRO  IN  THE  CIVIL  \\"AR. 107-129 

VII.  THE  NEGRO  IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN   WAR.  ..  .131-144 

"VIII.     THE  NEGRO  IN  THE  GREAT  WORLD  WAR 147-166 

IX.    ONE  HUNDRED  YEARS  OF  NEGRO  MIGRATION 167-175 

•  -«K. 

X.  CLUB  MOVEMENT   AMONG   NEGRO  WOMEN 177-209 

XI.  NATIONAL  NEGRO  BUSINESS  LEAGUE 211-229 

XII.  PROGRESS  IN  INDUSTRIES  AND  FINANCIAL  GROWTH. 23 1-271 

~~XIII.  EDUCATIONAL  IMPROVEMENT    273-303 

XIV.  RELIGION  AND  THE  NEGRO. 305-328 

XV.  WHO'S  WHO  IN  THE  NEGRO  RACE 329-460 

XVI.  PLANTATION    MELODIES    461-474 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS 


Abbott,  Robert  S 

Allen,   B.  D 

A.  M.  E.  Church,  Atlanta 
Anderson,  Madam  M.  B.. 
Atlanta  Baptist  Seminary. 

Atlanta  University 

Atwell,  E.  T 

Ballard  Drug  Store 

Banks,  Charles    

Banks,  W.  R 

Baptizing  Negro  Soldiers. 

Battle  Scenes   159 

Benedict  College  

Bethel  A.  M.  E.  Church.. 

Bethune,  Mary  M 

Binga,  Jesse  

Bold  Stroke  for  Freedom, 

A   

Bond,  Scott   

Boston   Massacre    

Bowen,  John  W 

Bowles,  Eva  D 

Boyd  Building  

Boyd,  R.  H 

Braithwaite,  William   S... 

Brawley,   Benjamin    

Brooks,  W.  H 

Brown,  Charlotte  H 

Brown,  John    

Bruce,  Mrs.  J.  B 

Bruneau,  P.   

Burleigh,  H.  T 

Calhoun,  Mrs.  C.  M 

Camphor,  A.  P 


PACE  PAGE 

130      Capturing  Slaves   41 

272       Carney,  Wm.  H 1 18 

327      Carter,  James  G 30 

207  Centerville    Industrial    In- 

350          stitute 291 

303       Chestnut,    Charles  W 358 

168      Clinton,  George  W 312 

250  Clinton  A.  M.  E.  Church.  315 

256      Coleridge-Taylor,   H 174 

272       Collins,   Cleoto  J 183 

161       Cotter,  Joseph  S.,  Jr 353 

-163      Crogman,  Wm.  H 358 

301       Croix  de  Guerre 152 

317       Davidson,   Henry    272 

194      Davis,  B.  J 361 

230  Daytona   Normal   Institute 

287-290 

98  Delegates     to     Republican 

334          Convention,  1920   21,  145 

60      Desperate  Conflict,  A 94 

334      Dogan,  M.  W 358 

194      Douglass,  Frederick 226 

240      DuBois,  W.  E.  B 367 

334      Dudley,  J.  B 358 

340      Emma  Brick  Works 304 

340.      Europe,   Jimmie    157 

340  Fierce     Encounter     with 

191  Bloodhounds  123 

88      Fifteenth,  The  Old 154 

191       Fisk  University 292 

180      Gale,  George  W 21 

340       Garrett,  Thomas  91 

281       Garrison,  Wm.  Lloyd 75 

334      General  Grant  1 1 1 


10 


LIST   OF   ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

Gilbert,  John  W 377 

Gilliam,  C.  W 263 

Grandchildren  of  Slaves . .     56 

Green,  John   P 377 

Greene,  B.  A 221 

Greene,  S.  M 377 

Hampton  Institute   293 

Harmon,  J.  H 377 

Harrison,  Wm 377 

Hawkins,  Mason  A 388 

Hayes,  Roland  W 170 

Hayward,  Col.  Wm. ...  151-154 

Holsey,  Albon  L 210 

Hope,  John  388 

Hubbard,  W.  M 272 

Hudson,  Henry  C 388 

Jackson,   R.  R 397 

James  &  Allen  Drug  Co..  249 

Jason,  W.  C 397 

Johnson,  General  Ed 127 

Johnson,  James  W 391 

Jones,  Edward  P 323 

Jones,  Judge  Scipio  A 361 

Josenberger,  Mrs.  M.  S...  207 

Kemp,  Wm.  Paul 397 

Kenney,  John  A 397 

Knox,  George  L 397 

Lane  College   288 

Lewis,  Wm.  H 388 

Lincoln,  Abraham 106 

Logan,  Warren  168 

Malone,  Annie  M 201 

Masonic  Temple,  Jackson- 
ville    213 

Melden,  Charles  M 305 

Miller,  J.  E 272 

Minton,  Henry  M 417 

Montgomery,  Isaiah  T.2I,  256 

Moore,   L.  B 409 

Morris  Brown  College 297 


Morris,  E.  C 417 

Moton,    Robert    R 

Frontispiece 

Mound  Bayou  Cotton  Gin  221 
Mound  Bayou  Cotton  Co.  254 
Mound  Bayou  Oil  Mill...  252 
Mound  Bayou  State  Bank  254 
Myrtilla  Miner  Normal...  283 
National  Baptist  Publish- 
ing House  320 

Nelson,  Alice  M.  Dunbar.  415 
New  Orleans  University. .  298 
Odd  Fellow  Block,  Atlanta  216 
Officers'  Training  Camp..  149 
Okalona  Industrial  School  274 

On  Picket  Duty 115 

Pace,  Henry  H 238 

Palmer  Memorial  Institute  286 

Penn,  I.  G 417 

Perry,  Herman  E 417 

Phillips,  C.  H 311 

Phillips,  Wendell   78 

Pickens,  Wm 238 

Piney  Woods   School 295 

Poro  College   203 

Powell,  A.  C 421 

Proctor,  H.  H 421 

Pythian  Temple,  Louisville  216 
Pythian  Temple,  New 

Orleans    213 

Red  Cross  Nurses 155 

Republican   Convention 

Delegates   21 

Resurrection    of     Henry 

Box  Brown 99 

Revels,  Hiram  R 31 

Roberts,   Eugene  P 421 

Roberts,  James   T 263 

Robert    Hungerford    Nor- 
mal   .  .  281 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


11 


Rodgers,  M.  M 421 

Roman,  Charles  V 437 

Rosenwald,  Julius  168 

Roosevelt  168 

Ruffin,  Mrs.  J.  St.  P 180 

Rust  College 286-464 

Scott,  Bishop  I.  B 308 

Scott,  Emmett  J 168-428 

Slave,  An  Ex- 35-36-38 

Slaves,  Capturing 41 

Slave  Traders  32-38 

Smith,  Robert  L 437 

Still,  Charity  101 

Still,  William 96 

Stringing  Wire  on  the 

Marne  148 

Stowe,  Harriet  Beecher ...  83 

Sumner,  Charles  81 

St.  Luke  Penny  Savings 

Bank  205 

Smith  Memorial  College..  277 

Talbert,  Mrs.  Mary 180 

Tenth  Cavalry  148 

Terrell,  Marv  Church ....  191 


Texas  College   298 

Tulane,  Victor  Hugo 437 

Tuskegee  Institute   278-279 

Valentine,  Win.  R 437 

Vincent,  Dr.  V.  Conrad..   146 
Virginia  Union  University 

293-300 

Walker,  Madam  C.  J 207 

Washington,  Mrs.  B.  T...   176 
Washington,   Booker  T. . .   191 

White,  Clarence  C 172 

Williams,  A.  Wilberforce.  451 

Williams,  Bert 131 

Williams,  R.  A 451 

Williams,  W.  T 451 

Williams,  Mrs.  S.  F 191 

Wilson,  Henry   86 

Wood,  Charles  W 451 

Work,   Monroe   N 451 

Wounded   Heroes    157 

Wright,  A.   Wilberforce..  457 

Yates,  Mrs.  J.  Salone 180 

Young,  Col.  Charles 459 


WE  ARE  RISING. 

BY  REV.   GEORGE  C.  ROWE. 

Among  the  sayings  of  our  race. 

Suggestive  and  surpi  ising, 
That  fill  a  most  exalted  place, 

Is,  "Tell  them  we  are  rising!" 

The  question  asked  for  right  and  truth, 
What  to  the  North  your  greeting? 

The  answer  from  a  Negro  youth — 
"Tell  them  we  are  rising!" 

Within  Atlanta's  classic  halls, 

This  youth,  self-sacrificing, 
Wrote  high  his  name  upon  her  walls, 

His  motto:  "We  are  rising!" 

Out  in  the  world  he  makes  his  mark, 

Danger  and  fear  despising, 
E'er  soaring  upward  like  the  lark. 

My  brethren:  "We  are  rising!" 

He  meets  the  foe  with  voice  and  pen. 

With  eloquence  surprising! 
Give  us  a  chance,  for  we  are  menl 

Most  surely  we  are  rising! 

Rising  to  take  our  place  beside 

The  noble,  the  aspiring; 
With  energy  and  conscious  pride, 

To  the  best  things,  we're  rising! 

Within  the  class-room  is  his  place, 

Greek,  Latin,  criticising, 
To  raise  the  youthful  of  his  race, 

And  show  the  world  we're  rising! 

Go  forth,  my  friend,  upon  your  way, 

Each  obstacle  despising, 
Prove  by  your  efforts  every  day 

To  all  that  we  are  arising! 

In  farming,  trade  and  literature, 

A  people  enterprising! 
Our  churches,  schools,  and  home  life  pure, 

Tell  to  the  world  we're  rising! 

NOTE. — About  a  score  of  years  since.  Gen.  O.  O.  Howard,  then  con- 
nected with  the  Freedman's  Bureau,  on  visiting  one  of  the  colored  schools 
in  Georgia,  asked  the  children:  "What  message  shall  I  take  from  j  ou  to  the 
people  of  the  North?"  An  intelligent  boy  answered  promptly:  ''Tell  them 
we  are  rising!"  The  boy  was  Richard  Wright,  of  Augusta,  Ga,  who  has 
since  graduated  from  Atlanta  University,  ably  filled  the  editorial  chair, 
and  is  now  President  of  the  State  Normal  School,  of  College,  Georgia. 

13 


CHAPTER  I. 

HISTORY    OF    THE    RACE. 

Unity  of  the  Race. — Attempts  have  been  made  in 
the  past  to  prove  that  the  Negro  is  not  a  human  being. 
Jn  this  age  of  the  world  such  a  preposterous  idea  does 
not  receive  countenance.  The  remarkable  progress  of 
the  Negro  and  the  rapid  disappearing  of  race  'malice 
and  prejudice,  have  made  this  theory  so  absurd  that 
to-day  no  one  can  be  found  to  advocate  it.  It  is,  how- 
ever, to  be  noted  that  as  late  as  1868  a  minister  of  the 
South  advocated  this  theory.  Arguing  from  this  stand- 
point he  says,  "Half  an  eye  tells  us  the  fate  of  the 
Negro  on  this  continent  is  fixed,  his  doom  is  irrevocably 
sealed,  he  is  out  of  his  natural  condition  to  which  he 
aspires.  If  he  is  separated  from  man  he  sinks  speedily 
to  savage  cannibalism.  Men  cannot  refute  the  fixed 
decree  of  Omnipotence ;  nothing  but  the  power  of  God 
can  save  the  Negro  from  extinction.  Four  millions  of 
blacks  are  doomed  to  extinction.  The  history  of  the 
Negro  proves  that  he  does  not,  never  did  possess,  a  self- 
directing,  independent  mind.  The  white  man  regards 
him  as  a  natural,  lawful  slave,  the  Negro  admits  the 
fact  and  instinctively  seeks  the  condition  of  slavery  to 
man." 

Of  One  Blood. — Why  should  we  here  refer  to  this 
theory  so  absurd  and  contradictory  to  all  history? 
Not  that  we  place  any  confidence  in  any  of  the  argu- 
ments, nor  that  we  will  refute  the  arguments,  they 
need  no  refutation ;  but  that  the  young  man  of  to-day, 
who  is  an  American  citizen,  may  know  something  of 
the  tendency  of  the  times  when  slavery  existed. 

13 


14  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

To-day 'the  universal  belief  is  that  God  "Created  of 
one  blood  all  nations  of  man  to  dwell  on  the  face  of 
the  earth."  The  unity  of  the  race  is  demonstrated 
with  emphasis  in  the  possible  and  actual  assimilation  of 
all  the  races  in  the  one  man,  and  is  distinctly  shown  in 
the  personalities  and  careers  of  men  like  Benjamin 
Banneker,  Frederick  Douglass,  and  Alexander  Dumas. 

No  Inferior  Races. — God  did  not  create  an  inferior 
race ;  there  are  races  with  inferior  conditions,  and  these 
may  be  black  or  white,  but,  says  Dr.  Blyden,  "There 
is  no  absolute  or  essential  superiority  on  the  one  side, 
i/or  absolute  or  essential  inferiority  on  the  other. 
Man  is  a  unity  in  the  plan  of  salvation.  No  man  is  too 
inferior  to  be  saved.  In  all  the  wondrous  work  of 
creation  the  making  of  man  is  God's  crowning  act,  and 
whoever  has  His  image  has  infallible  credentials  of  his 
high  origin  and  sonship.  Man  is  our  universal  repre- 
sentative head  and  from  him  all  peoples  sprung.  God 
never  made  a  superior  race  nor  an  inferior  one ;  and 
there  is  nothing  in  the  heavens  above,  nor  in  the  earth 
beneath,  that  can  substantiate  any  such  doctrine, 
"For  God  hath  made  of  one  blood  all  nations  of  men 
to  dwell  upon  the  face  of  the  earth. ' ' 

The  Curse  Theory. — Failing  to  establish  the  theory 
that  the  Negro  is  not  a  human  being,  we  find  an  attempt 
on  the  part  of  those  who  would  have  held*  the  Negro  in 
perpetual  slavery  to  show  that  he  belongs  to  an  inferior 
race.  That  against  him  an  irrevocable  curse  has  been 
pronounced.  But  the  remarkable  advancement  of  the 
race  in  all  lines  of  activity  has  dispelled  even  the 
doubts  of  those  who  "hoped  against  hope"  that  this 
might  be  the  case,  and  has  scattered  the  mists  of 
unbelief  that  rose  above  the  horizon  of  a  few  of  the 
Anglo-Saxon  race. 


HISTORY  OF  THE   RACE.  15 

Base  of  Arguments. — Such  arguments  are  based 
upon  passages  of  the  scripture  in  which  Noah  cursed 
Canaan  in  these  words:  "Cursed  be  Canaan,  a  ser- 
vant of  servants  shall  he  be  unto  his  brethren.  Blessed 
be  the  Lord  God  of  Shein,  and  Canaan  shall  be  his. 
servant.  God  shall  enlarge  Japheth,  and  he  shall  dwell " 
in  the  tents  of  Shem  and  Canaan  shall  be  his  servant." 
If  this  were  a  prophecy  then  the  argument  might  have 
some  weight,  but  it  is  considered  a  prophecy  only  by  a 
very  few  writers,  and  these  are  those  who  would  sub* 
stantiate  preconceived  opinions  thereby.  The  best 
evidence  of  a  prophecy  is  its  fulfillment.  This  state- 
ment was  never  fulfilled  either  in  the  case  of  Canaan, 
whose  descendants  have  often  conquered  and  been 
among  the  powerful  nations  of  olden  times,  nor  of 
Shem  and  Japheth,  whose  descendants  were  frequently 
enslaved.  The  Hebrews  were  in  bondage  in  Egypt 
for  centuries,  they  were  the  descendants  of  Shem; 
Egypt  was  peopled  by  the  Children  of  Ham. 

The  Proper  Interpretation. — We  have  neither  incli- 
nation nor  time  to  spend  on  extended  argument  against 
this  theory  so  contradictory  to  all  facts  revealed  by 
the  light  of  true  history  and  now  no  longer  a  question 
of  debate,  and  yet  a  statement  is  necessary  for  the 
information  of  the  youth  who  knows  nothing  of  slavery, 
and  the  arguments  and  the  attempts  to  hold  in  per- 
petual bondage  a  race  destined  to  play  an  important 
part  in  the  civilization  and  Christianization  of  the 
world.  Noah  was  once  a  preacher  of  righteousness, 
but  he  afterward  became  drunk  on  the  wine  that  he 
made.  The  exposure  to  which  he  was  subjected  by  his 
drunken  condition  caused  him  in  his  irritable  and  self- 
defensive  mood  to  utter  these  words,  which  cannot  in 
any  sense  be  prophetic.  The  best  argument  against 


1Q  PROGRESS   OF    A   hACE. 

.  this  theory  is  the  remarkable  progress  of  the  race  and 
the  moral  and  intellectual  condition  of  the  best  of  the 
race  in  these  closing  years  of  the  nineteenth  century. 

Josephus  says:  "The  children  of  Ham  possessed 
the  land  from  Syria  to  Amanus,  and  the  mountains  of 
Libanus,  seizing  upon  all  the  maritime  ports  and  keep- 
ing them  as  their  own.  Of  the  four  sons  of  Ham,  time 
has  not  at  all  hurt  the  name  of  Cush,  for  the  Ethiopians 
over  whom  he  reigned  are  even  at  this  day,  both  by 
themselves  and  by  all  men  in  Asia,  called  Cushites. " 

Herodotus. — Herodotus  states  that  Cambyses  at- 
tempted to  conquer  Ethiopia  but  failed.  He  succeeded 
in  conquering  Egypt,  but  he  found  the  Ethiopian  equal 
to  the  Egyptian  in  refinement  and  intelligence  and 
superior  in  military  skill.  Cambyses  attempted,  by 
means  of  spies  and  by  means  of  various  designs,  to 
entrap  and  enslave  the  Ethiopian,  but  was  forced  to 
return  to  Egypt  with  but  a  remnant  of  his  army. 

The  Case  Stated. — Rev.  Norman  Wood  puts  it  thus . 
"Whereas,  Noah  got  drunk  and  cursed  Canaan,  an 
innocent  party;  and  whereas,  this  curse  was  never 
fulfilled;  therefore,  all  to  whom  these  presents  may 
come,  greeting:  Pagan,  infidel,  or  pirate,  are  hereby 
empowered  to  kidnap  and  to  enslave  all  the  sable 
Africans  who  are  descendants  from  Cush.  We  are  here 
reminded  of  the  statement  of  Liliuokalani,  the  recent 
dethroned  queen  of  Hawaii,  that  the  best  blood  of  the 
English  flowed  in  her  veins,  because  her  grandfather 
devoured  Captain  Cook." 

The  Color  Theory.— Another  argument  in  support 
of  the  curse  of  Noah  is  the  color  of  the  African.  This 
argument  also  fails  utterly  when  we  take  into  account 
tne  climatic  influence.  Climate,  and  climate  alone,  is 
*he  sole  canse.  The  predominant  color  of  the  inhabit- 


HISTORY   OF   THE    RACE.  17 

ants  of  the  tropical  regions  of  Asia  and  Africa  is  black, 
while  the  whites  are  found  in  the  temperate  and  cold 
regions.  We  see  and  admit  the  change  which  a  few 
years  produce  in  the  complexion  of  a  Caucasian  going 
from  our  northern  latitude  into  the  tropics.  If  a  few 
years  make  such  great  changes  why  shall  we  hesitate 
to  recognize  the  changes  of  centuries  and  ages? 

Plants  and  Animals. — There  is  perhaps  no  better 
evidence  of  the  influence  of  climate  upon  man  than  to 
witness  its  effects  upon  plants  and  animals.  The  flowers 
of  the  north  are  almost  invariably  white,  while  the 
arctic  rabbit  is  spotless  white,  and  the  fox  and  polar 
bear  are  either  white  or  pale  yellow.  The  lack  of  color 
in  the  northern  regions  of  animals  which  possess  color 
in  more  temperate  regions  can  be  attrib'.:fed  only  to 
change  of  climate.  The  common  bear  is  differently 
colored  in  different  regions.  The  dog  lo  ;°s  its  coat  in 
Africa,  and  has  a  smooth  skin. 

Gradations  of  Color. — Let  us  survey  the  gradations 
of  color  on  the  continent  of  Africa  itself.  The  inhabit- 
ants of  the  north  are  whitest;  and,  as  we  advance 
southwards  towards  the  line,  we  find  in  those  coun cries 
in  which  the  sun's  rays  fall  more  perpendicularly,  the 
complexion  gradually  assumes  a  darker  shade.  And 
the  same  men  whose  color  has  been  rendered  black  by 
the  powerful  influence  of  the  sun.  if  they  remove  to 
the  north,  gradually  become  white  (I  mean  their  pos- 
terity), and  eventually  lose  their  dark  color. 

Caucasians. — The  Portuguese,  who  planted  them- 
selves on  the  coast  of  Africa  a  few  centuries  ago,  have 
been  succeeded  by  descendants  blacker  than  many 
Africans.  On  the  coast  of  Malabar  there  are  two 
colonies  of  Jews,  the  old  colony  and  the  new,  separated 

2 — Aug.   23 


18  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

by  color  and  known  as  the  "black  Jews"  and  the 
"white  Jews." 

The  old  colony  are  the  black  Jews,  and  have  been 
longer  subjected  to  the  influence  of  the  climate.  The 
hair  of  the  black  Jews  is  curly,  showing  a  resemblance 
to  the  Negro.  The  white  Jews  are  as  dark  as  the 
Gypsies,  and  each  generation  is  growing  darker. 

Dr.  Livingstone  say;  "I  was  struck  with  the 
appearance  of  the  people  in  Londa  and  the  neighbor- 
hood; they  seemed  more  slender  in  form  and  their 
color  a  lighter  olive  than  any  we  had  hitherto  met. ' ' 

Lower  down  the  Zambesi,  the  same  writer  says: 
"Most  of  the  men  are  muscular,  and  have  large, 
ploughman  hands.  Their  color  is  the  same  admixture, 
from  very  dark  to  light  olive,  that  we  saw  in  Londa. ' ' 

Equator  to  Polar  Circles. — Under  the  equator  we 
have  the  deep  black  of  the  Negro,  then  the  copper  or 
olive  of  the  Moors  of  northern  Africa;  then  the  Span- 
iards and  Italian,  swarthy  compared  with  other  Euro- 
peans ;  the  French,  still  darker  than  the  English,  while 
r.he  fair  and  florid  complexion  of  England  and  Germany 
passes  more  northerly  into  the  bleached  Scandinavian 
white. 

From  Inland  to  Coast. — As  we  go  westward  we  ob- 
serve the  light  color  predominating  over  the  dark ;  and 
then,  again,  when  we  come  within  the  influence  of  the 
dampness  from  the  sea  air,  we  find  the  shade  deepened 
into  the  general  blackness  of  the  coast  population. ' ' 

If  these  opinions,  given  by  the  best  authorities,  mean 
anything,  and  if  we  shall  credit  them  as  having  any 
value,  then  the  color  line  can  be  drawn  only  where 
there  is  deep-seated  prejudice. 

Black,  a  Mark  of  Reproach. — Prof.  Johnson,  in  his 
school  history,  justly  says:  "Black  is  no  mark  of  re- 


HISTORY   OF  THE   RACE.  19 

proach  to  people  who  do  not  worship  white.  The  West 
Indians  in  the  interior  represent  the  devil  as  white. 
The  American  Indians  make  fun  of  the  'pale  face'  and 
so  does  the  native  African.  People  in  this  country  have 
been  educated  to  believe  in  white  because  all  that  is 
good  has  been  ascribed  to  the  white  race,  both  in  pic- 
tures and  words.  God,  the  angels  and  all  the  prophets 
are  pictured  white,  and  the  devil  is  represented  as 
black." 

Ideals  of  Negro. — The  ideals  of  the  Negro  are  the 
ideals  of  the  white  man.  The  two  races  are  both  edu- 
cated to  one  standard,  that  is,  the  white  man's 
standard.  While  the  white  man  would  have  the  Negro 
adopt  his  standard,  at  the  same  time  there  are  those 
who  would  repel  him ;  somewhat  like  putting  on  steam 
and  throttling  the  valve.  True  manhood  knows  no 
color.  While  the  ideals  are  the  same,  the  standards 
the  same,  let  all,  black  and  white,  aim  to  attain  to  a 
virtuous  manhood  that  would  impress  itself  upon 
mankind  and  make  men  more  and  more  to  see  the 
ideals  shine  out  in  the  lives  of  all  true  leaders. 

God  Knows  Best. — George  Williams  says:  "It  is 
safe  to  say  that  when  God  dispersed  the  sons  of  Noah 
he  fixed  the  'bounds  of  their  habitation,'  and  that 
from  the  earth  and  sky  the  various  races  have  secured 
their  civilization.  He  sent  the  different  nations  into 
separate  parts  of  the  earth.  He  gave  to  each  its  racial 
peculiarities  and  adaptability  for  the  climate  into  which 
it  went.  He  gave  color,  language,  and  civilization; 
and,  when  by  wisdom  we  fail  to  interpret  his 
inscrutable  ways,  it  is  pleasant  to  know  that  'he  work- 
eth  all  things  after  the  counsel  of  his  own  mind.'  " 

Antiquity. — It  is  difficult  to  find  a  writer  on  ethnol- 
ogy or  Egyptology  who  doubts  the  antiquity  of  the 


20  PROGRESS    OF   A   RACE. 

Negroes  as  a  distinct  people  from  the  dawn  of  history 
down  to  the  present  time.  They  are  known  as  dis- 
tinctly as  any  of  the  other  families  of  men.  Negroes 
are  represented  in  Egyptian,  paintings.  They  formed 
the  strength  of  the  army  of  the  King  of  Egypt.  They 
came  against  the  King  of  Rehoboam  as  well  as  the 
armies  of  Sesostris  and  Xerxes. 

John  P.  Jefferis,  who  is  not  friendly  to  the  Negro, 
in  his  criticism  nevertheless  makes  this  statement: 
"Every  rational  mind  must  readily  conclude  that  the 
African  race  has  been  in  existence  as  a  distinct  people 
over  four  thousand  two  hundred  years,  and  how 
long  before  that  period  is  a  matter  of  conjecture  only 
there  being  no  reliable  data  on  which  to  predict  a 
reliable  opinion. ' ' 

Further  Evidence. — Further  evidence  in  favor  of 
the  antiquity  of  the  Negro  is  found  in  Japan  and  East- 
ern Asia.  In  these  large,  magnificent  temples,  hoary 
with  age,  are  found  idols  that  are  exact  representations 
of  woolly-headed  Negroes;  other  inhabitants  of  the 
country  have  straight  hair.  But  why  accumulate  evi- 
dence, when  monuments,  temples  and  pyramids  rise 
up  to  declare  the  antiquity  of  the  Negro  race? 

The  Word  Negro. — The  word  Negro  is  a  name  given 
to  a  considerable  branch  of  the  human  family  possess- 
ing certain  physical  characteristics  which  distinguish  it 
in  a  very  marked  degree  from  the  other  branches  or 
varieties  of  mankind.  "It  is  not  wise,"  says  George 
Williams,  "for  intelligent  Negroes  in  America  to  seek 
to  drop  the  word  'Negro.'  It  is  a  good,  strong  and 
healthy  word,  and  ought  to  live.  It  should  be  covered 
with  glory ;  let  Negroes  do  it. ' ' 

The  Term  Negro. — The  term,  Negro,  is  properly 
applied  to  the  races  inhabiting  that  part  of  Africa  lying 


B  3 


, 

<      -^ 
O  Ok 

S.|5 

«,      n 


•  o 


22  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

between  latitude  10  degrees  north  and  20  degrees 
south  and  to  their  descendants  in  the  old  and  new 
world.  It  does  not  include  the  Egyptians,  Berbers, 
Abyssinians,  Hottentots,  Nubians,  etc.,  although  in 
some  writings  it  comprises  these  and  other  dark- 
skinned  nations.  One  characteristic,  however,  the 
crisp  hair,  belongs  only  to  the  true  Negro. 

Africa  for  the  Negroes. — Centuries  of  effort  and 
centuries  of  corresponding  failure  have  fully  demon- 
strated that  the  white  man  cannot  colonize  the  largest 
part  of  the  great  continent  of  Africa.  It  seems  that,  in 
the  providence  of  God,  this  great  and  glorious  conti- 
nent is  chiefly  for  the  colored  races,  and  especially  for 
the  Negro.  Is  it  not  possible  that  this  great  continent 
with  its  millions  of  Negroes  occupying  the  most  fertile 
portions,  and  in  all  more  than  one-half  of  the  conti- 
nent, is  to  be  enlightened,  civilized  and  Christianized 
by  the  American  Negro? 

Deportation. — Let  it  not  be  understood  that  the  pre  - 
ceding  paragraph  argues  in  favor  of  deportation  of  the 
American  Negro  to  Africa.  This  is  impossible,  but 
that  the  American  Negro  has  a  part  in  the  elevation  of 
the  black  brother  of  the  dark  continent  is  as  true  as 
that  the  Caucasian  of  America  has  a  part  in  the  Chris- 
tianization  of  the  white  race  in  other  parts  of  the 
world.  The  Negro  is  better  adapted  to  the  climate 
and  can  endure  the  hardships  of  mission  work  in  Africa 
much  better  than  the  Caucasian. 

Not  Well  Considered. — Booker  T.  Washington  says  : 
4 '  I  recall  that  a  few  months  ago,  when,  on  the  occasion 
of  six  hundred  deluded  colored  people  sailing  from 
Savannah  for  Liberia,  some  of  the  newspapers  and  not 
a  few  of  the  magazines  gravely  announced  to  an 
expectant  people  that  the  race  problem  was  in  process 


HISTORY   OF   THE   RACE.  23 

of  solving  itself.  These  newspapers  and  magazine 
writers  did  not  take  into  consideration  the  important 
fact  that  perhaps  before  breakfast  that  same  morning 
six  hundred  colored  babies  were  born.  I  have  a  friend 
down  in  Georgia  whose  unfailing  solution  of  the  race 
problem  is,  that  the  Negro  should  be  cooped  up  in  some 
place,  surrounded  by  a  high  fence,  and  kept  separate 
from  the  whites.  That  would  riot  even  reach  the  dig- 
nity of  touching  the  question,  since  it  would  be  utterly 
impossible  to  keep  the  blacks  inside  the  fence  to  say 
nothing  of  the  impossible  task  of  keeping  the  whites 
outside  of  it.  If  the  Negroes  were  fenced  in  Africa 
the  white  men  would  break  in  at  the  first  cry  that  gold 
existed  in  the  inhabited  territory.  Besides,  the  Negro 
has  never  yet  been  able  to  exile  himself  to  any 
place  the  white  man  would  not  follow  him  and  break 
in." 

Separation  would  Not  Relieve. — "Talks  for  the 
Times"  says:  "If  such  a  .separation  were  even  pos- 
sible, are  we  simple  enough  to  believe  that  that  would 
relieve  us  of  the  presence  of  the  white  man?  He  who 
is  scouring  the  seas,  dredging  the  oceans,  tunneling 
the  mountains,  boring  his  way  into  the  frozen  regions 
of  the  North,  parceling  out  the  continent  of  Africa,  and 
giving  civilization  and  laws  to  its  tribes — it  is  not 
likely,  I  say,  that  this  restless,  energetic  white  brother 
will  respect  the  boundary  line  of  a  state  or  territory  at 
home ;  he  has  not  done  so  in  reference  to  the  Indian ;  he 
would  never  do  so  in  reference  to  us.  Were  it  possible 
for  us  to  go  off  to-morrow  to  some  territory  by  our- 
selves, within  a  week  the  Connecticut  Yankee  would  be 
there  peddling  his  wooden  nutmegs.  The  patent  medi- 
cine man  would  be  there  selling  his  nostrums.  The 
Georgia  Cracker  and  the  Kentucky  horse-trader  would 


24  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

be  there  with  their  horses  and  mules.  The  Soatnern 
white  man  would  especially  be  there,  for  he  has  been 
so  accustomed  to  us  from  his  childhood  that  he  does 
not  feel  at  home  without  us,  although  sometimes,  in 
the  heat  of  political  excitement,  he  wishes  we  were  in 
Africa  or  a  warmer  place. ' ' 

Not  Possible. — Judge  Gunby  says:  "The  favorite 
remedy  for  the  race  problem  with  some  has  come  to  be 
the  deportation  of  the  Negroes.  I  am  prepared  to  say 
with  the  utmost  confidence  that  this  remedy  does  not 
meet  with  general  approval,  although  it  is  fair  to  con- 
cede that  it  has  many  able  advocates.  The  Negroes  do 
not  desire  to  leave  and  the  great  majority  of  the  whites 
do  not  want  them  to  go.  The  enforced  removal  of  the 
Negroes  would  be  unnatural  and  unjust;  cruel,  bitter 
cruel,  would  be  the  task  of  tearing  Negroes  from  their 
genial  Southern  homes,  their  Southern  friends,  their 
churches,  their  graveyards,  and  the  haunts  they  love  so 
well.  Sadder  than  the  melancholy  processions  that 
moved  to  the  shore  from  Goldsmith's  'Deserted  Vil- 
lage,' sadder  than  the  doomed  band  of  Acadian  farm- 
ers that  looked  for  the  last  time  on  their  burning  homes 
in  Grand  Pre,  would  be  the  final  movement  of  the 
Negroes  from  the  South.  It  would  be  worse  than  slav- 
ery ;  for  the  Negroes  in  a  colony  of  their  own  would 
degenerate  and  speedily  loce  the  civilization  they  have 
derived  from  contact  with  the  whites.  Such  a  crime 
would  never  be  forgiven.  It  would  raise  a  protest  from 
whites  and  blacks  alike  and  from  an  indignant  world. 
The  very  stones  would  rise  up  and  cry  against  it. 
Deportation  is  not  conceivable ;  because,  although  a  few  • 
might  be  transported  to  Africa  or  scattered  elsewhere, 
yet  reproduction  will  increase  their  number  in  spite  of 
such  trifling  methods,  and  our  only  way  to  get  rid  of 


HISTORY   OF   THE    RACE.  25 

their  presence  in  the  country;  is  to  kill  them — which 
would  be  difficult,  for  many  of  them  already  have 
guns. ' ' 

Points  of  Superiority. — A  certain  writer  says  that 
the  Negro  has  less  nervous  sensibility  than  the  white, 
and  is  not  subject  to  nervous  afflictions.  He  is  com- 
paratively insensible  to  pain,  bearing  severe  surgical 
operations  well;  he  seldom  has  a  fetid  breath,  but 
transpires  much  excrementious  matter  by  means  of 
glands  of  the  skin,  whose  odorous  secretion  is  well 
known.  His  skin  is  soft,  and  his  silky  hair,  though  called 
wool,  does  not  present  the  characteristics  of  wool,  and 
differs  but  little  from  that  of  other  races  except  in 
color  and  in  its  curly  and  twisted  form.  He  flourishes 
under  the  fiercest  heat  and  unhealthy  dampness  of  the 
tropics  where  the  white  man  soon  dies. 

Physical  Characteristics. — The  physical  characteris- 
tics of  the  black,  or  Negro,  race  are:  A  large  and 
strong  skeleton,  long  and  thick  skull,  projecting  jaws, 
skin  from  dark  brown  to  black,  woolly  hair,  thick  lips, 
flat  nose  and  wide  nostrils.  The  typical  color  of  the 
race  is  not  coal  black  but  the  dark  brown  of  a  horse- 
chestnut.  Observation  shows  that  the  darkest  speci- 
mens are  found  on  the  borders  where  Negroes  have 
been  in  contact  with  lighter  races,  while  in  the  popu- 
lation of  the  Congo  basin,  which  has  been  almost  com- 
pletely free  from  mixture,  the  dark-brown  type  pre- 
vails. It  should,  however,  be  understood,  that  there 
is  as  great  a  difference  among  Negroes  as  among 
Caucasians. 

Distinguishing  Traits. — The  Africans,  as  a  race,  are 
passionately  fond  of  music  and  have  many  ingeniously 
contrived  musical  instruments.  While  some  of  their 
inventions  may  have  been  borrowed  from  other  people, 


26  PROuRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

it  is  a  well  established  fact  that  they  are  the  inventors 
of  an  ingenious  musical  instrument.  They  have  a  keen 
sense  of  the  ridiculous  and  are  of  a  cheerful  disposi- 
tion. They  are  naturally  kind  hearted  and  hospitable 
to  strangers  and  are  generally  ready  to  receive  instruc- 
tion and  to  profit  by  it.  They  are  quick  to  perceive 
the  beauty  of  goodness  and  hence  they  generally 
appreciate  the  services  of  missionaries  in  their  behalf, 
and,  but  for  the  curse  of  intoxicating  drinks  brought 
upon  them  by  unscrupulous  white  traders,  the  dark 
continent  would  shine  more  brightly  with  the  light  of 
Him  who  is  the  light  of  the  world. 

Fidelity  of  the  Negro. — During  the  Civil  war  the 
fidelity  of  the  negro  was  tested  to  a  most  remarkable 
degree;  and  he  stood  the  test.  Nearly  all  able-bodied 
men  of  the  South  were  in  the  Confederate  army.  Only 
helpless  women  and  children,  and  old  or  disabled  men 
were  left  with  the  slaves  to  care  for  the  plantation 
houses.  While  the  white-faced  "Copperhead"  of  the 
North  was  aiding  the  South,  the  black-faced  slave  was 
caring  for  the  helpless  ones  in  Southern  houses. 
Strange  as  it  may  seem,  these  same  colored  men  knew 
that  victory  for  the  Union  meant  freedom  for  them- 
selves. General  Sherman,  in  describing  his  first  day's 
experience  on  his  famous  " March  to  the  Sea,"  says: 
"The  negroes  were  simply  frantic  with  joy.  When- 
ever they  heard  my  name,  they  clustered  about  my 
horse,  shouting  and  praying  in  their  peculiar  style, 
which  had  a  natural  eloquence  that  would  move  a 
stone.  I  have  witnessed  hundreds,  if  not  thousands, 
of  such  scenes.  *  * 

^  "We  made  our  bivouac,  and  1  walked  up  to  a  plan- 
tation house  close  by,  where  were  assembled  many 
negroes,  among  them  an  old,  gray-haired  man,  of  as 


HISTORY    OF    THE    RACE.  27 

fine  a  head  as  I  ever  saw.  I  asked  him  if  he  under- 
stood about  the  war  and  its  progress.  He  said  he  did ; 
that  he  had  been  looking  for  the  'angel  of  the  Lord' 
ever  since  he  was  knee-high,  and,  though  we  profess 
to  be  fighting  for  the  Union,  he  supposed  that  slavery 
was  the  cause,  and  that  our  success  was  to  be  his  free- 
dom. I  asked  him  if  all  the  negro  slaves  compre- 
hended this  fact,  and  he  said  they  surely  did. ' ' 

Every  Union  soldier  escaping  from  Confederate 
prison-pen,  knew  that  it  was  safe  to  make  himself 
known  to  a  colored  man.  No  Union  soldier  ever 
asked  in  vain  for  help  from  his  dusky  brother. 

Drink  Traffic. — The  drink  traffic  carried  on  by  civil- 
ized nations  in  Africa  is  the  curse  of  millions.  The 
same  ship  that  carries  missionaries  to  its  shores  carries 
thousands  of  gallons  of  rum  that  does  more  to  degrade 
the  helpless  and  ignorant  Negro  than  many  mission- 
aries through  a  lifetime  can  succeed  in  winning  to  a 
better  life.  Let  it  be  known  that  the  Christian  (?) 
nations,  Great  Britain  and  the  United  States,  are  lead- 
ers in  this  degrading  and  soul  destroying  business. 
This  can  be  permitted  only  where  dollars  and  the  greed 
of  gain  surpass  in  estimation  the  worth  of  true  man- 
hood and  of  immortal  souls. 

Ingenuity. — The  African  Negroes  display  consider- 
able ingenuity  in  the  manufacture  of  weapons,  in  the 
working  of  iron,  in  the  weaving  of  mats,  cloth  and 
baskets  from  dyed  grasses,  in  the  dressing  of  the  skins 
of  animals,  in  the  structure  of  their  huts  and  household 
utensils  and  in  the  various  implements  and  objects  of 
use  in  a  barbarous  state  of  society. 

In  Other  Continents.— In  addition  to  Africa,  Negroes 
are  found  in  the  United  States,  Brazil,  West  Indies, 
Peru,  Arabia  and  the  Cape  Verd  Islands.  They  are 


28  PROGRESS   OF  A   RACE. 

rare  in  Europe  and  the  islands  of  the  Pacific.  Africa 
is,  however,  the  native  home  of  the  Negro.  Whenever 
he  is  found  outside  of  this  great  continent  it  is  because 
he  has  been  carried  away  and  subjected  to  slavery. 

Unknown  to  Hebrews. — Negroes  were  almost  un- 
known to  Hebrews.  They  were  unknown  to  the 
Greeks  until  the  seventh  century  B.  C.  About  twenty- 
three  hundred  years  B.  C.  the  Egyptians  became 
acquainted  with  the  Negroes,  who  helped  them  on 
their  monuments  as  early  as  1,600  years  B.  C. 

Liberia. — Liberia  is  a  Negro  republic  of  western 
Africa,  on  the  upper  coast  of  Upper  Guinea.  It  was 
founded  by  the  American  Colonization  Company.  The 
first  expedition  of  eighty-six  emigrants  was  sent  out  in 
February,  1820.  It  was  organized  as  a  home  for  the 
Negro  of  the  United  States.  The  suffering  that  slavery 
brought  upon  the  Negro  aroused  his  friends,  and,  fol- 
lowing the  plan  of  Wilberforce  and  other  Englishmen, 
Liberia  was  founded  as  a  refuge  for  the  colored  men 
who  would  avail  themselves  of  its  blessings. 

The  constitution  of  Liberia,  like  that  of  the  United 
States,  establishes  an  entire  separation  of  the  church 
from  the  state,  but  all  citizens  of  the  republic  must 
belong  to  the  Negro  race.  The  constitution  has  recently 
been  changed  and  this  point  has  been  modified.  Its 
present  constitution  was  adopted  in  1847  and  is  similar 
to  that  of  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States.  The 
article  on  slavery  reads  thus:  "There  shall  be  no  slav- 
ery within  the  republic,  nor  shall  any  citizen  of  this 
republic,  or  any  person  residing  therein,  deal  in  slaves 
either  within  or  without  the  republic. ' ' 

The  first  years  witnessed  the  struggle  of  a  noble  band 
of  colored  people  who  were  seeking  a  new  home  on  the 
edge  of  a  continent  given  over  to  idolatry.  Immigra- 


HISTORY   OF   THE    RACE.  29 

tion  went  forward  slowly,  but  the  republic  continued 
establishing  and  extending  itself  until  it  now  numbers 
more  than  two  million  inhabitants.  Already  in  1853 
Bishop  Scott,  of  the  M.  E.  ChurcK,  stated  that  the  gov- 
ernment of  Liberia  was  extremely  well  administered. 
In  his  visit  of  several  months  he  saw  no  intoxicated 
colonists  and  did  not  hear  a  profane  word,  the  Sab- 
bath was  kept  in  a  singularly  strict  manner  and  the 
church  crowded  with  worshipers. 

Agriculture  is  carried  on  with  increasing  success. 
Sugar  was  formerly  the  principal  article  of  produce 
and  of  manufacture,  but  through  the  efforts  of  Mr. 
Morris,  coffee  has  become  the  principal  article.  Rice, 
arrowroot  and  cocoa  are  also  cultivated ;  trade  is  rap- 
idly extending.  Although  the  circumstances  that  led 
to  the  founding  of  this  republic  passed  away  when  the 
shackles  were  torn  from  the  Negroes  of  the  South,  yet 
it  had  done  a  vast  amount  of  good  before  the  days  of 
the  great  rebellion,  and  to-day  stands  as  a  beacon  light 
penetrating  the  darkness  and  gloom  of  Africa.  May 
we  not  hope  that  through  the  ages  to  come  the  light  of 
this  Christian  republic  will  reach  the  dark,  trackless 
regions  of  African  Paganism  and  bring  millions  to  the 
brightness  of  its  shining? 


DR.    JAMES    C.    CARTER,    UNITED    STATES    CONSUL    TO    MADAGASCAR. 

<C)    C.   M.    Batter- 


EX-UNITED   STATES    SENATOR   FROM    MISSISSIPPI,    HON.    HIRAM 
R.    REVELS. 

Born  a   slave,   March,    1841,  in  Virginia.     Died   in   Washington, 
D.  C,  March  17,  1898. 


CHAPTER  II. 

SLAVERY. 

Knowledge  Worth  Knowing. — Dr.  Hamilton  says: 
"The  popular  notions  which  have  prevailed  concerning 
African  slavery  have  shaped  imaginations  and  con- 
trolled opinions  concerning  the  origin  and  destiny  of 
the  African  race.  Men  have  asserted  boldly  and  arro- 
gantly that  the  African  people  were  designed  in  the 
very  first  cosmogony  to  be  hewers  of  wood  and 
drawers  of  water.  Slavery  was  their  natural  relation. 
As  the  slaves  in  America  within  the  recollection  of  the 
present  generation  have  been  Negroes,  most  persons 
have  thought  that  all  slaves  have  been  Negroes. 
As  Negroes  have  come  from  Africa,  it  has  been  com- 
monly believed  that  all  Africans  were  Negroes.  As  the 
sons  of  Ham  in  the  dispersion  went  into  Africa  to  live, 
it  has  been  supposed  that  all  Negroes  were  the  sons  of 
Ham  And  as  Ham  is  said  in  the  book  of  Genesis  to 
have  looked  on  the  nakedness  of  his  drunken  father 
and  so  incurred  his  anger  that  he  visited  the  sin  of  the 
father  on  the  son  of  Ham,  and  in  his  anger  cried  out, 
'Cursed  be  Canaan;  a  servant  of  servants  shall  be 
unto  his  brethren, '  it  has  been  claimed  scriptural  war- 
rant is  found  for  the  enslavement  of  all  Negroes. 
Of  such  knowledge  and  such  argument  it  is  pertinent 
to  affirm,  in  the  language  of  Mr.  Josh  Billings,  'that  it 
would  be  better  not  to  know  so  many  things  than  to 
know  so  many  things  that  are  not  so. '  " 

In  Africa. — From  time  immemorial  slavery  has 
existed  in  Africa.  The  oldest  records  of  the  human 
race,  the  inscriptions  of  the  Nile  valley,  shew  us  that 

3  33 


34  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

Negro  slaves  from  the  Soudan  were  then,  as  to-day,  one 
of  the  principal  articles  of  Egyptian  trade. 

Neither  the  institution  of  slavery  nor  the  slave  trade 
Tvere  introduced  into  Africa  or  forced  upon  the  natives 
by  Arabic*.  Moslems,  or  European  Christians.  At  all 
times,  so  far  as  human  knowledge  goes,  slavery  has 
been  a  constituent  element  in  the  social  order  of  Negro 
Africa.  It  is  said  of  two  or  three  African  Negro  tribes 
that  they  object  to  selling  their  own  tribesmen,  and 
oppose  slave  dealing  in  a  general  way.  But  -these 
exceptions  only  confirm  the  rule  that  slavery  is  the 
universal  practice  of  native  Africa.  There  the  trade 
in  human  beings  is  considered  just  as  honest  as  trade 
in  any  other  merchandise. 

All  those  who  want  to  work  for  the  extinction  of 
slavery  in  Africa  should  know  from  the  start,  that  for 
one  Arab  or  European  slave-holder,  slave-raider,  or 
slave-dealer,  there  are  hundreds  of  African  slave- 
holders, slave-dealers  and  slave-raiders.  Therefore, 
in  their  effort  to  conquer  that  monster  they  will  have 
to  face  thousands  of  interested  native  opponents. 
This  will  be  made  clearer  by  a  consideration  of — 

Sources  of  Slavery. — Chief  among  these  is  (i)  the 
right  of  parents  to  sell  their  children.  Every  child 
born  is  the  property  of  its  maternal  uncle ;  in  a  few 
tribes  of  its  father.  The  uncle  or  the  father  has  the 
right  to  dispose  of  his  property  as  he  pleases.  He  may 
even  kill  this  human  property  and  no  one  can  prose- 
cute him,  claim  damages,  or  demand  his  punishment. 
If  he  sells  his  children,  separating  child  from  mother, 
nobody  seems  to  think  he  is  doing  wrong.  The  victim 
itself  is  expected  not  to  protest  against  it  more  than  a 
young  girl  of  our  land  would  protest  against  being 
sent  to  a  boarding  school  for  the  first  time. 


SLAVERY. 


(2.)    The  Right  of  a  Free  Adult  to  Sell  Himself.  — 

Runaway  slaves,  or  liberated  slaves,  rather  than  be  kid- 
naped, prefer  to  sell  themselves  to  masters  of  their 
own  choice.  In  times  of  famine  hundreds  are  com- 
pelled to  change  their  liberty  for  the  food  that  will 
keep  body  and  soul  together.  In  war,  cowards  would 
rather  live  as  slaves  than  die  as  freemen. 

(3.)  Insolvent  Debtors. — Those  who  have  lost  all 
resources  of  material,  animal  and  human  property, 
sometimes  give  themselves  for  debt. 

(4.)  Sale  of  Criminals  by  Legal  Action. — In  Africa 
there  are  no  prisons,  hence  punishment  is  always  paid 

by  death  or  the  pay- 
ment of  a  fine.  If 
the  fine  cannot  be 
paid  the  individual  is 
sold  to  pay  for  it. 

(5.)  Kidnaping. 
— This  is  much  more 
frequent  than  is  gen- 
erally supposed.  The 
kidnaped  generally 
resent  the  injustice 
committed,  and  fre- 
quently, with  tears 
in  their  eyes,  enter- 
tain a  secret,  though 
forlorn,  hope  of  re- 
gaining their  liberty 
AN  EX-SLAVE.  and  returning  to 

their  homes. 

(6.)  Capture  in  War. — Captives  are  often  committed 
to  slavery,  many  wars  are  often  even  made  that  cap- 
tives may  be  taken  and  carried  into  slavery. 


36 


PROGRESS   OF  A   RACE. 


Slaves  of  Slaves. — It  is  not  an  unusual  thing  for 
slaves  to  own  slaves,  and  in  old  Calabor  plantation, 
slave-holding  by  slaves  is  so  common  that  you  often 
hear  of  slaves  belonging  to  slaves  of  slaves.  Any  slave 
may  by  industry  and  thrift  redeem  himself,  take  his 
seat  among  the  tribal  headman,  and  aspire  to  the 
kingship. 

Early  History  of  Slavery. — The  history  of  Negro 
slavery  carried  on  by  Europeans,  beginning  in  Portu- 
gal over  a  period  of 
400    years,    and    in- 
volving the  exporta- 
tion by  violence  from 
their  African  homes 
of  forty  million  of 
men,  women  and  chil- 
dren,  is  one   of  ex- 
ceeding and  unimag- 
inable bitterness.    It 
is  too  late  to  crimi- 
nate those  who  were 
responsible    for    be- 
ginning  the    slave 
trade  and  for  perpet- 
uating the  system  of 
bondage    that    grew 
out  of  it.      Many  of 
them  were  conscien- 
tious, Christian  men,  who  worked  without  a  thought 
of  the  wrong  they  were  doing.     Some  of  them  really 
believed  they  were    benefiting  the  Negro  by  buying 
him  out  of  a  condition  of  barbarism  into  the  enlight- 
ening and  purifying  influences  of  Christianity. 
Livingstone's  Tomb. — On  Livingstone's  tomb-slab 


AN   EX-SLAVE. 


SLAVERY.  37 

in  Westminster  Abbey  are  engraved  these,  among  the 
iast  words  which  he  wrote:  "All  I  can  add,  in  my 
solitude  is:  May  Heaven's  rich  blessing  come  down  on 
everyone,  Americans,  English  and  Turk,  who  will 
help  to  heal  this  open  sore  of  the  world,  the  slave 
trade. ' ' 

For  What  Purpose. — Slaves  are  hunted  by  Moslems, 
Arabs,  half-breeds,  or  Mohammedan  Negroes,  for  the 
three  following  purposes:  i,  To  supply  labor  for  their 
fields  and  plantations  in  the  Soudan,  in  Zanzibar  and 
the  adjoining  coast  belt ;  2,  to  supply  Negresses  for  the 
harems  of  Turkey,  especially  Arabia,  Egypt,  Tripoli, 
and  Morocco;  3,  to  obtain  carriers  for  the  trading  cara- 
vans taking  European  goods  to  the  interior  and  bring- 
ing down  in  exchange  the  tusks  of  ivory  and  the  balls 
of  rubber  so  much  coveted  by  Europeans  and  Amer- 
icans. 

European  Plantation  Slavery. — Under  the  pretense 
of  redeeming  slaves  from  patriarchal  native  slavery 
these  poor  creatures  are  taken  into  European  planta- 
tion slavery,  which  means  that  the  slave  has  no  more 
free  time,  no  accumulation  of  property,  no  hope  of 
redeeming  one's  self  by  thrift,  no  home  life,  no  possi- 
bility of  flight,  but  unremitting  toil  from  morning  until 
night  in  the  broiling  sun,  under  the  lash  of  the  driver, 
without  pay,  and  often  with  insufficient  food.  His  only 
prospect  is  that  he  is  being  worked  slowly  to  death. 

In  Asia. — Slavery  existed  in  Persia,  China  and 
India.  Parents  sold  their  children  to  be  slaves.  Thei'e 
was  slavery  among  the  Hebrews.  All  Africans  are 
not  Negroes,  many  of  them  are  entirely  distinct  from 
the  Negro — the  idea  that  a  slave  is  always  black  is 
erroneous.  It  is  not  Noah,  nor  Ham,  nor  Canaan,  nor 
Africa,  but  sin  and  slavery  that  has  cursed  the  Negro. 


38 


PROGRESS   OF    A   RACE. 


Portugal  inaugurated  the  slave  trade.  Antonio 
Gonsalve  brought  home  some  gold  dust  and  ten  slaves 
in  1443.  These  were  probably  the  first  slaves  taken 
from  western  Africa  by  Europeans.  They  were  pre- 
sented tc  Pope  Martin  V.,  and  he  conferred  on  Portu- 
gal the  right  of  possession  of  all  countries  discovered 

between  Cape  Bo- 
jado  and  the  Indies. 
Portugal  also  had  the 
first  of  many  chart- 
ered companies  to 
trade  in  African  gold 
and  slaves. 

Columbus  began 
his  intercourse  with 
the  natives  of  Africa 
by  kidnapping  and 
he  gave  the  word  for 
the  opening  of  the 
slave  trade. 

Slavery  in  the 
New  World.  — Afri- 
can  slavery  was  in- 
AN  EX-SLAVE.  troduced     into     the 

New  World   by  the 

Spaniards.  Their  cruelty  to  the  inoffensive  Indians  in 
the  islands  of  the  West  Indies  had  greatly  reduced  their 
numbers.  The  poor  Indian  had  been  reduced  to  slavery, 
at  d  in  order  to  prevent  extermination  the  Spaniards  re- 
sorted to  importing  slaves  from  Africa.  The  first  cargo 
of  Negro  slaves  was  landed  at  San  Domingo  on  the  Is- 
land of  Hayti  in  the  year  1565.  These  were  at  once  put 
to  cultivating  the  plantations,  and  it  was  soon  found 
that,  as  Rev.  Wood  says,  "These  hearty  sons  of  Africa 


SLAVERY.  39 

not  only  survived  the  oppressive  cruelty  of  their  heart- 
less taskmasters,  but  in  time  they  rebelled  against 
them,  and  under  their  invincible  'Black  Prince,'  Tous- 
saint,  killed  them  in  battle  and  drove  them  from  the 
island." 

First  Slaves,  First  Liberty. — Bancroft  aptly  says : 
"Hayti,  the  first  spot  in  America  that  received  African 
slaves,  was  the  first  spot  to  set  the  example  of  African 
liberty." 

Slavery  in  the  United  States. — Slaves  were  brought 
by  the  Spaniards  to  Florida  soon  after  the  founding  of 
St.  Augustine,  in  1565,  but  the  first  slaves  brought  to 
the  colonies  were  landed  at  Jamestown,  Va.,  in  1619, 
by  a  Dutch  trading  vessel.  Twenty  Negroes  were 
exchanged  for  food  and  supplies.  These  had  no  per- 
sonal rights,  were  doomed  to  service  and  ignorance  by 
law,  and  could  not  leave  the  plantation  to  which  they 
belonged  without  a  written  pass  from  their  master. 
They  received  no  religious  instruction,  and  were  some- 
times given  to  white  ministers  as  pay  for  their  ser- 
vices. It  was,  however,  nearly  a  half  century  from 
this  time  before  the  system  of  Negro  slavery  became 
well  established  in  the  English  colonies. 

Slavery  Contended  for. — The  slave  trade  was  the 
great  industry  contended  for  and  carried  on.  In  1 748 
there  were  97,000  slaves  carried  to  America  by  all 
nations,  and  up  to  that  time  the  total  number  was 
probably  a  million.  During  the  eighteenth  century  six 
millions  were  carried  to  America,  besides  the  horrible 
traffic  which  was  kept  up  to  the  coasts  of  the  Mediter- 
ranean, to  Egypt  and  Asia,  which  has  been  carried  on 
from  time  immemorial.  It  is  estimated  that  the  profits 
of  the  slave  trade  in  the  seventeenth  and  eighteenth 


40  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

centuries  from  the  Dark  Continent  were  equal  to  that 
on  gold  and  all  other  products. 

The  Slave  Trade. — We  cannot  in  a  few  paragraphs, 
relate  all  the  horrors  and  suffering  entailed  on  the 
African  race  by  means  of  the  slave  trade.  While  it  is 
true  that  the  revenue  of  the  kings  of  the  country  some- 
times depended  on  the  sale  of  slaves,  yet  it  remains  as 
a  blot  on  Christian  England  and  America's  record  that 
they  were  the  means  of  carrying  out  this  cruel  work. 
Some  Americans,  at  least,  went  one  step  further,  and, 
not  content  with  selling  slaves,  sold  their  own  sons  and 
daughters. 

The  Slave  Dealer. — Many  chapters  might  be  written 
upon  the  cruelties  and  inhuman  treatment  of  the  slave 
dealers,  but  as  all  who  have  engaged  in  this  nefarious 
business  have  rendered  their  accounts  to  God,  who  is 
just,  and  have  been  justly  dealt  with,  we  will  pen  but 
a  few  items  to  show  what  the  race  has  endured. 

Kidnapping. — Probably  the  largest  number  of  slaves 
were  obtained  by  a  system  of  kidnapping.  In  this 
case  a  village  was  often  surrounded  in  the  night  and 
torches  applied  to  the  combustible  huts;  the  able- 
bodied  men  and  women  were  seized,  bound,  while 
children,  the  aged  and  infirm  were  cruelly  murdered  in 
the  light  of  their  burning  homes.  In  journeying  to 
the  seashore,  over  rugged  mountain  sides  and  through 
fields  of  cacti,  whose  sharp  thorns  would  lacerate  and 
tear  their  flesh,  they  endured  more  than  can  be 
expressed.  On  reaching  the  coast  the  best  of  them 
were  selected  and  placed  on  board  ships,  while  those 
who  had  not  endured  the  march,  or  were  mained 
were  often  murdered  in  cold  blood. 

It  is  said  that  King  Loango,  "rather  than  incur  the 
expense  of  feeding  slaves  for  whom  he  found  no  mar 


SLAVERY, 


41 


ket,  sent  them  to  a  side  of  a  hill  and  cruelly  butchered 
them  there. 

Middle  Passage. — The  slave  ships  were  frequently 
crowded  to  such  an  extent  that  men  were  barely  allowed 
room  enough  to  lie  down. 

Lord  Palmerston  says:     "A  Negro  has  not  as  much 


CAPTURING   SLAVES. 


room  in  a  sea  ship  as  a  corpse  in  a  coffin. ' '  Bancroft 
says :  ' '  The  horrors  of  the  middle  passage  correspond 
to  the  infamy  of  the  trade. ' '  Small  vessels,  of  little 
more  than  two  hundred  tons  burden,  were  prepared 
for  the  traffic,  for  these  could  most  easily  penetrate  the 
bays  and  rivers  of  the  coast;  and  quickly  obtaining 


42  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

lading,  could  soonest  hurry  away  from  the  deadly  air 
of  Western  Africa.  In  such  a  bark,  five  hundred 
Negroes  and  more  were  stored,  exciting  wonder  that 
men  could  have  lived,  within  the  tropics,  cribbed  in  so 
few  inches  of  room.  The  inequality  in  force  between 
the  crew  and  the  cargo,  led  to  the  use  of  manacles;  the 
hands  of  stronger  men  were  made  fast  together,  and 
the  right  leg  of  one  was  chained  to  the  left  of  another. 
The  avarice  of  the  trader  was  a  partial  guarantee  of 
the  security  of  life,  as  far  as  it  depended  upon  him ; 
the  Negroes,  as  they  came  from  the  higher  level  to  the 
seaside,  poorly  fed  on  the  sad  pilgrimage,  sleeping  at 
night  on  the  damp  earth,  without  covering,  and  often 
reaching  the  coast  at  unfavorable  seasons,  imbibed  the 
seeds  of  disease,  which  confinement  on  board  ship 
quickened  into  feverish  activity.  There  have  been 
examples  where  one-half  of  them — it  has  been  said, 
even  two- thirds  of  them — perished  on  the  passage." 

President  Lincoln,  who  was  always  easily  moved  by 
appeals  for  mercy,  when  appealed  to  by  a  slave  trader, 
promptly  and  sternly  refused,  although  the  appeal  was 
very  pathetic,  and  the  man  had  served  a  long  time  in 
prison.  The  President  said:  "I  could  forgive  the 
foulest  murder  for  such  an  appeal,  but  the  man  who 
could  go  to  Africa  and  rob  her  of  her  children  and  sell 
them  into  endless  bondage,  with  no  other  motive  than 
that  of  getting  dollars  and  cents,  is  so  much  worse 
than  the  most  depraved  murderer  that  he  can  never 
receive  a  pardon  at  my  hands.  No!  he  may  rot  in  jail 
before  he  shall  have  liberty  by  any  act  of  mine. ' ' 

Profit. — Dr.  Roy  says:  "Before  the  annual  meeting 
of  the  American  Missionary  Association,  in  1859,  Rev. 
Dr.  George  B.  Cheever,  from  Harper's  Encyclopedia 
of  Commerce,  made  the  following  statements  as  to  the 


SLAVERY.  43 

slave  trade:  For  it  every  year  twelve  vessels  were 
fitted  out  by  three  cities  each,  Boston  and  Baltimore 
being  of  the  number,  and  from  other  places  enough  to 
make  forty  slave  ships,  owned  mostly  by  northern  men. 
Each  made  two  trips  a  year,  at  a  total  cost  of  three 
million  dollars.  The  receipts  being  twenty  million  dol- 
lars, left  for  profit  seventeen  million  dollars.  One 
voyage  of  the  fleet  would  bring  in  twenty-four  thousand 
slaves,  of  whom  four  thousand  were  lost  by  death. 
The  two  trips  a  year  would  make  the  total  importation 
forty  thousand.  These  were  mainly  taken  to  Cuba, 
but  fifteen  thousand  were  for  the  United  States  the 
preceding  year.  A  slave  ship  was  landed  after  the  war 
broke  out,  in  a  distant  part  of  the  South,  and  there  the 
slaves  were  held  till  after  the  war.  It  has  been  esti- 
mated by  Hon.  John  M.  Langston  and  Col.  Keating, 
of  the  Memphis  Appeal,  that  up  to  1825,  forty  million 
slaves  had  been  imported  to  the  West  Indies  and  to  the 
American  continent. 

Slavery  a  Curse. — Some  writers  will  insist  that 
American  slavery  has  been  a  blessing  to  the  race. 
Slavery  is  dead,  and  there  is  no  one  that  would  revive 
it.  Ancient  slavery  may  have  been  a  step  forward  in 
evolution,  because  it  ended  in  emancipation,  and  ulti- 
mately in  the  fusion  of  the  races.  But  American  slav- 
ery was  a  long  step  backward. 

It  was  carried  on  by  a  desire  of  Europeans  in  a  lan- 
guid climate  to  have  the  work  done  for  them  instead 
of  doing  it  themselves. 

Fusion  in  the  case  of  Negro  slavery  was  fatally  pre- 
cluded by  color;  there  could  be  no  intermingling 
except  that  which  arose  from  the  abuse  of  the  Negro 
woman  by  her  white  master.  While  household  slavery 
may  frequently  have  been  mild,  the  plantation  slave 


44  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

was  overworked  and  tortured,  and,  with  impunity, 
sometimes  murdered.  If  certain  writers  are  correct  in 
attempting  to  show  that  the  slave  was  contented  in  his 
bonds,  why  those  fetters,  those  cruel  slave  laws,  those 
bloodhounds?  If  he  was  fully  content  to  live  in  slavery, 
why  the  laws  that  forbade  the  holding  of  meetings,  the 
restraint  from  moving  about  freely,  the  liability  to 
arrest  when  found  alone,  and  the  subjection  to  flogging 
when  found  away  from  the  plantation  Think  of  the 
revolting  sights  when,  at  public  auction,  husband  and 
wife,  parent  and  child,  were  sold  apart,  a  sight  of 
human  cattle  on  the  way  to  the  auction  and  the  adver- 
tisements of  human  flesh,  especially  of  girls  nearly 
white.  Negro  quarters  on  the  plantation  were  hovels, 
his  clothes  rags,  his  food  coarse,  his  life  foul;  it  has 
been  asserted  that  his  life  was  happier  than  his  African 
home,  but  it  remains  to  be  proven  that  this  is  the  case. 

Slavery  Cannot  Be  Justified. — "Slavery  cannot  be 
justified,"  says  Gov.  Atkinson,  "but  may  not  God  have 
intended  that  you,  who  are  the  descendants  of  those 
whom  slavery  has  brought  into  the  country,  should 
pray  and  work  for  the  redemption  of  your  fatherland?" 

Slavery  Degrading. — Judge  Stroud,  in  his  "Sketch 
of  the  Laws  Relating  to  Slavery,"  declares:  "This 
maxim  of  civil  law,  the  genuine  and  degrading 
principle  of  slavery,  inasmuch  as  it  places  the  slave  on 
a  level  with  brute  animals,  prevails  universally  in  the 
slave -holding  states."  "It  is  plain  that  the  dominion 
of  the  master  is  as  unlimited  as  that  which  is  tolerated 
by  the  laws  of  any  civilized  country  in  relation  to  brute 
animals  to  quadrupeds,  to  use  the  words  of  the  civil 
law."  To  the  unprincipled  observer,  at  thirty-five 
years'  distance,  the  whole  system,  as  a  system,  was 
"the  sum  of  all  villianies, "  one  universal  harem,  that. 


SLAVERY.  45 

at  the  emancipation  of  the  slave,  had  swept  to  the 
vortex  of  tyranny,  degradation,  fornication  and  diabol- 
ism of  the  most  vicous  character. 

"In  the  case  of  Harris  vs.  Clarissa  and  others,  in 
the  March  term,  1834,  the  chief  justice,  in  delivering 
his  opinion  to  the  court,  said :  '  In  Maryland,  the  issue 
(i.  e. ,  of  female  slaves)  is  considered  not  an  accessory. 
but  as  a  part  of  the  use,  like  that  of  other  female 
animals.  Suppose  a  brood  mare  be  hired  for  five  years, 
the  foals  belong  to  him  who  has  a  part  use  of  the  dam. 
The  slave  in  Maryland  in  this  respect  is  placed  on  no 
higher  or  different  ground. '  ' ' 

The  Slave  Trade  in  the  United  States. — In  1774,  the 
Articles  of  the  Continental  Association  agreed  that  no 
more  slaves  should  be  imported  and  that  the  African 
slave  trade  should  be  wholly  discontinued.  These 
agreements  were  signed  by  the  representatives  of  the 
colonies,  but  it  was  left  to  the  next  generation  to  carry 
out  the  agreement  fully. 

Abolishing  African  Slave  Trade. — In  his  message  to 
Congress  at  the  commencement  of  the  session  in  1806, 
President  Jefferson  asked  of  that  body  the  wisdom  of 
abolishing  African  slave  trade.  The  message  was 
referred  to  a  select  committee,  which  reported  a  bill  to 
prohibit  the  importation  of  slaves  into  the  United 
States.  This  bill,  of  course,  was  fought  by  the  South- 
ern representatives.  A  long  and  fiery  debate  ensued 
and  the  act  was  finally  passed,  after  several  amend- 
ments, imposing  a  fine  on  persons  engaged  in  the  slave 
trade  were  added. 

A  Baltimore  journal  of  this  period  says:  "Dealing 
in  slaves  has  become  a  large  business.  Establish- 
ments have  been  made  in  several  places  in  Maryland 
and  Virginia  at  which  they  are  sold  like  cattle.  These 


46  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

places  of  deposit  are  strongly  bolted  and  are  supplied 
with  iron  thumb- screws  and  gags  ornamented  with 
cows'  skins,  ofttimes  bloody." 

A  Curious  Advertisement  in  a  religious  paper  of 
Richmond,  in  March,  1850,  is  found  the  following: 
"Who  wants  thirty-five  thousand  dollars  in  property. 
I  am  desirous  to  spend  the  balance  of  my  life  as  a 
minister,  if  the  Lord  permits,  and  therefore  offer  for  sale 
my  farm,  the  Vineyard,  adjoining  to  Williams- 
burg  *  *  *  and  also  about  40  servants,  mostly  young 
and  likely,  and  rapidly  increasing  in  number  and 
value. ' ' 

Effect  on  Slave  Owners. — While  the  slave  owner 
may  have  been  hospitable,  courteous,  grave,  the  char- 
acter of  a  true  gentleman  cannot  be  found  where 
reigns  domestic  despotism,  amidst  whips,  manacles 
and  bloodhounds.  The  minds  of  young  men  were 
tainted  by  familiarity  with  slaves.  With  slavery 
always  goes  lust.  If,  as  the  advocates  of  slavery  con- 
tended, the  Negro  was  not  a  man,  what  were  all  these 
half-breeds  to  be  called.  The  tendency  of  slavery  in 
that  which  is  not  elevating  in  man  is  clearly  seen  in 
tile  inferiority  of  Southern  to  Northern  life.  Culture, 
invention,  literature,  scientific  research,  were  not  found 
South  as  long  as  slavery  existed.  It  is  only  since  slav- 
ery has  been  abolished  that  the  South  is  beginning  to 
rise  in  all  these  lines. 

Not  Content  in  Slavery.— The  argument  against  the 
Negro  is  that  he  has  never  rebelled  or  resisted  slavery, 
that  his  docility  and  contentment  in  slavery  suggested 
that  this  was  this  normal  condition.  But  we  need 
understand  the  true  condition  of  the  Negro,  his  help- 
lessness and  lack  of  leadership,  to  see  the  falsity  of 
such  arguments.  Negro  insurrections,  wherever  the 


SLAVBHY.  47 

opportunity  presented  itself,  were  not  wanting  in  the 
south  land.  We  need  but  refer  to  what  is  called  the 
Nat  Turner  insurrection  to  show  that  the  Negro  was 
struggling  for  freedom,  and  was  not  as  docile  as  the 
white  slaver  would  make  him. 

The 'influence  of  this  bloody  insurrection  in  which 
the  lives  of  so  many  whites  were  taken  spread  through- 
out Virginia  and  the  South.  For  years  afterwards  they 
lived  in  a  state  of  dread  for  fear  another  Nat  Turner 
might  arise. 

Serious  Apprehensions. — "Talks  from  the  Times" 
says:  "During  the  days  of  slavery  there  were  con- 
tinuous and  serious  apprehensions  on  the  part  of  mas- 
ters. The  whole  South  was  under  patrol  every  night, 
and  the  Negro,  though  regarded  then,  as  many  seem  to 
regard  him  now,  as  a  harmless,  spiritless  being,  a 
'scrub  race,'  a  'race  of  timid  rabbits,'  was  an  object 
of  suspicion  and  distrust,  and  not  infrequently  was 
consternation  thrown  into  whole  states  by  apprehen- 
sions of  servile  uprisings." 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin. — Dr.  Edwards  says:  "The  key 
to  'Uncle  Tom's  Cabin'  is  one  of  the  most  abhorrent 
and  appalling  commentaries  ever  written  on  African 
slavery.  It  has  made  the  cheek  of  many  a  slave-holder 
tingle.  But  the  legislation  at  that  time  in  Virginia 
was  deemed  a  life  and  death  question  Nothing  short 
of  it,  for  the  time  being,  could  allay  the  painful  and 
distressing  excitement  that  prevailed  everywhere 
throughout  the  country.  It  almost  makes  one's  blood 
run  cold,  even  at  this  remote  period  of  time,  to  recall 
the  trepidation  and  alarm  that  pervaded  the  whole 
community.  The  stoutest  hearts  were  made  to  quail. 

Negro  Insurrection. — Rumors  of  Negro  insurrec- 
tion filled  the  air.  Sleep  ceased  to  be  refreshing, 


48  PROGRESS    QV    4.    RXCB. 

haunted  as  it  was  by  hideous  dreams  of  murder,  blood 
and  arson.  Mothers  and  maidens,  and  even  little 
children,  for  months  not  to  say  years,  following  the 
'Nat  Turnei  Insurrection.1  looked  pale  and  ghastly  as 
the  shadows  of  evening  gathered  around  them,  from 
the  horrifying  apprehension  that  with  bludgeon  they 
might  be  brained,  or  with  torch  might  be  burned  to  a 
crisp  before  morning.  I  speak  from  experience.  Nor 
would  I  go  through  the  agony  of  those  years  again  for 
all  the  gold  that  ever  passed  hands  in  the  Negro  traffic 
from  Colonial  times  till  President  Lincoln  emancipated 
them  with  a  stroke  of  his  pen.  Pharaoh  and  his  peo- 
ple, under  the  visit  of  the  destroying  angel,  when  the 
first-born  was  convulsively  quivering  in  the  death 
struggle  in  every  household,  did  not  more  earnestly 
desire  the  quick  departure  of  the  Hebrews  out  of  the 
land  of  Egypt  than  did  the  great  majority  of  the  slave 
holders  in  the  Carolinas  and  Virginias  desire  the 
removal  of  the  Negroes  from  among  them  immediately 
after  the  Southampton  Insurrection. ' ' 

Restriction  of  Slavery. — The  African  trade  having 
been  abolished,  the  next  question  that  agitated  the 
mind  of  the  American  abolitionist  was  that  of  restrict- 
ing slavery;  while  the  North  would  restrict  it  to  its 
present  limits,  the  South  insisted  that  slavery  should 
be  permitted  to  be  carried  into  the  new  territory  and 
states  as  they  entered  the  Union.  The  Congressional 
discussion  of  the  slavery  question  aroused  the  anti- 
slavery  sentiment  of  the  North,  and  thereby  hastened 
the  day  when  it  was  possible  to  liberate  the  last  slave. 

Slavery  in  the  Colonies. — Slavery  was  early  intro- 
duced into  all  of  the  thirteen  original  colonies.  But 
climate  and  other  considerations  proved  that  it  was 
not  so  profitable  to  the  Northern  colonies  as  to  those  in 


SLAVERY.  49 

the  South.  After  some  years  the  Northern  colonies 
liberated  their  slaves  and  adopted  laws  against  slavery. 
While  in  the  South,  the  large  rice  and  cotton  fields, 
where  labor  was  in  demand,  the  slave  was  held  in  cruel 
bondage,  for  no  other  reason  than  that  of  the  profit 
that  it  might  bring  the  owner. 

The  Southern  Colonists. — The  Southern  colonists 
differed  widely  from  the  Northern  in  habits  and  style 
of  living.  In  place  of  thickly  settled  towns  and  vil- 
lages, they  had  large  plantations,  and  were  surrounded 
by  a  numerous  household  of  servants.  The  Negro 
quarters  formed  a  hamlet  apart,  with  its  gardens  and 
poultry  yards.  An  estate  in  those  days  was  a  little 
empire.  The  planter  had  among  his  slaves  men  of 
every  trade,  and  they  made  most  of  the  articles  needed 
for  common  use  upon  the  plantation.  There  were 
large  sheds  for  cutting  tobacco,  and  mills  for  grinding 
corn  and  wheat.  The  tobacco  was  put  up  and  con- 
signed directly  to  England.  The  flour  of  the  Mount 
Vernon  estate  was  packed  under  the  eye  of  Washington 
himself,  and  we  are  told  that  barrels  of  flour  bearing 
his  brand  passed  in  the  West  Indies  market  without 
inspection. 

Maryland  and  Delaware. — While  the  North  liber- 
ated the  slave,  the  Quakers  of  Maryland  and  Delaware 
were  rapidly  emancipating  theirs.  Men  felt  that  the 
best  interests  of  white  society  demanded  that  the  curse 
of  slavery  should  be  abolished.  ' '  The  whole  commerce 
between  master  and  slave,"  says  Mr.  Jefferson,  "is  a 
perpetual  exercising  of  the  most  boisterous  passions, 
our  children  see  this  and  learn  to  imitate  it.  If  a 
parent  could  find  no  other  motive  for  restraining  the 
temper  of  passion  against  his  slave  it  should  always  be 
a  sufficient  one  that  his  child  is  present.  The  man 


50  PROGRESS    OF  A    RACE. 

must  be  a  prodigy  that  can  retain  his  morals  and  man 
ners  undepraved  by  such  circumstances,  and  what  exe- 
cration should  come  upon  the  statesman  who  permits 
half  the  citizens  thus  to  trample  on  the  rights  of  others, 
transform  them  into  despots,  and  these  into  enemies, 
destroy  the  morals  of  one,  and  the  love  of  country  of 
the  other. ' ' 

It  was  often  difficult  to  tell  whether  the  slave  or  the 
master  was  injured  the  more,  the  ignorance  of  the 
slave  hid  from  him  the  great  evils  of  his  condition, 
while  the  intelligence  of  the  owner  revealed  the  bane- 
ful  effects  of  slavery  upon  all  who  came  within  its  area. 
It  made  men  sectional,  licentious,  profligate,  cruel, 
and  selfishness  paled  the  holy  fire  of  patriotism. 

Profitable  in  Maryland. — In  Maryland  the  slave 
trade  became  a  profitable  enterprise  on  account  of  its 
rich  soil  and  cultivation  of  tobacco.  Labor  was  scarce, 
and  the  Negro  slave  labor  could  be  made  as  cheap  as 
his  master's  conscience  and  heart  were  small.  Slavery 
gained  a  foothold  and  at  once  became  the  bone  and 
sinew  of  the  working  force  of  the  colony.  While  many 
attempted  to  persuade  themselves  that  slavery  was  an 
institution  indispensable  to  the  success  of  the  colony 
here,  as  elsewhere,  it  was  impossible  to  escape  the  bad 
results  of  the  trade  which  made  men  cruel  and 
avaricious. 

Virginia. — There  is  no  doubt  that  the  colony  of 
Virginia  purchased  the  first  Negroes,  and  thus  opened 
the  nefarious  traffic  in  human  flesh. 

It  may,  however,  be  stated,  that  the  first  twenty 
were  forced  upon  the  colony  by  the  Dutch  sailors  who 
were  famishing  and  insisted  upon  the  exchange  of 
Negroes  for  food. 

It  is  to  be  noted  that  even  after  the  institution  of 


SLAVERY.  51 

slavery  was  founded,  its  growth  was  very  slow  in  Vir- 
ginia; according  to  the  census  of  1624,  there  were  but 
twenty-two  in  the  entire  colony.  The  African  slave 
trader  was  some  time  in  learning  that  this  colony  was 
a  ready  market  for  his  helpless  victims.  Whatever 
compunction  of  conscience  the  colonists  had  in  refer- 
ence to  the  sub-dealing  in  slaves,  this  was  destroyed 
at  the  golden  hopes  of  immense  gains. 

Slavery  existed  in  this  colony  from  1619  until  1662, 
without  any  sanction  of  law,  but  in  a  later  year  slavery 
received  the  direct  sanction  of  statutory  law,  and  it 
was  also  made  hereditary ;  with  each  returning  year, 
this  cruel  inhuman  institution  flourished  and  mag- 
nified. 

While  in  some  colonies  efforts  were  made  to  put 
down  slavery  from  1619  to  1775,  there  is  nothing  in 
history  to  show  that  Virginia  ever  sought  to  prohibit 
in  any  manner  the  importation  of  slaves.  That  she 
enriched  herself  by  the  slave  trade  cannot  be  doubted. 

The  slave  had  no  personal  rank ;  if  he  dared  lift  up  a 
hand  against  any  white  man  he  was  punished  with 
lashes,  or  if  he  resisted  his  master  he  could  be  killed. 

Virginia,  the  mother  of  Presidents,  was  also  the 
mother  of  American  slavery.  In  the  absence  of  the 
slave  trade  which  Great  Britain  had  suffered,  the  de- 
mand for  more  Negroes  in  the  cotton  fields  of  the  South 
was  met  by  the  conversion  of  Virginia,  the  old  Dominion 
state,  into  a  breeding  state,  a  shameful,  degrading  end 
for  the  mother  of  Presidents. 

New  York. — An  urgent  and  extraordinary  demand 
for  labor,  rather  than  the  cruel  desire  to  traffic  in 
human  beings,  led  the  Dutch  to  engage  in  Negro  slave 
trade.  The  majority  of  them  were  employd  on  farms, 
and  led  quiet  and  sober  lives.  At  first  the  Negro  slave 


52  PROGRESS   OF  A   RACE. 

was  regarded  as  a  cheap  laborer,  but  after  a  time  he 
became  a  coveted  chattel.  It  is  stated  that  Queen 
Elizabeth  discouraged  slavery  and  at  one  time 
attempted  to  rebuke  a  slave  dealer,  but  soon  after  was 
found  encouraging  the  slave  trade.  The  condition  of 
the  slaves  in  the  Christian  colony  of  New  York  was  no 
better  than  in  many  other  colonies,  they  had  no  family 
relations,  for  a  long  time  lived  together  by  common 
consent,  had  no  schools,  neglected  in  life,  and  were 
abandoned  to  burial  in  a  common  ditch  after  death. 

The  Negro  Plot. — In  1741,  through  a  combination  of 
circumstances,  the  Negroes  of  New  York  were  accused 
of  plotting  against  the  whites,  and  in  less  than  three 
months  more  than  150  Negroes  were  put  into  prison, 
some  of  them  burned  at  the  stake,  others  hanged,  some 
transported,  and  the  remainder  pardoned.  The  hatred 
and  mistrust  of  the  Negro  was  the  occasion  of  much  of 
this  supposed  riot.  Without  evidence,  and  with  the 
mere  form  of  a  trial,  many  Negroes  were  convicted 
and  sentenced  to  death.  The  result  of  the  supposed 
Negro  plot  in  New  York  is  a  stain  upon  the  fair  name 
of  that  province.  It  is  stated  that  the  desperate  valor 
of  the  Negro  in  the  war  with  Great  Britain  gave  her 
an  opportunity  to  dispell  injustice  and  wipe  out  with 
his  blood  the  dark  stains  of  1841. 

Rhode  Island. — The  institution  of  slavery  was  never 
established  by  statute  in  this  colony,  but  in  a  few  years 
after  the  establishment  of  the  government  it  became 
so  fully  rooted  that  it  was  not  possible  to  destroy  it 
without  explicit  and  positive  prohibition  of  law. 

Demand  for  Ignorance.— The  education  of  the  Negro 
in  all  colonies  was  considered  to  be  a  step  against  the 
best  interests  of  their  masters.  The  flourishing  of  the 


SLAVERY.  53 

slave  trade  demanded  that  the  slave  be  kept  in 
ignorance. 

New  Jersey. — It  is  not  known  when  slavery  was 
introduced  into  New  Jersey,  but  early  in  its  history  the 
Dutch,  Quakers  and  the  English  held  slaves,  but  were 
more  humane  in  their  treatment  of  them  than  in  the 
other  colonies.  Legislation  on  the  subject  was  not 
undertaken  until  about  the  middle  of  the  eighteenth 
century,  and  at  no  time  did  it  reach  the  severity  that 
exhibited  itself  in  the  other  parts  of  the  country.  In 
this  colony  alone,  of  all  the  colonies  north  or  south, 
was  the  American  Negro  given  the  right  of  trial  by 
jury.  In  Virginia,  Maryland,  Massachusetts  and  in 
all  other  colonies,  the  Negro  went  into  the  court  con- 
victed, and  went  out  convicted,  he  was  executed  on 
the  flimsiest  evidence  imaginable,  but  be  it  said 
to  the  praise  of  New  Jersey  that  justice  was  shown 
towards  the  Negro  in  this  colony  as  in  no  other.  The 
Negro  slave  was  given  the  privilege  of  being  tried 
by  jury  and  permitted  to  be  sworn  in  the  courts. 

South  Carolina. — In  South  Carolina  the  inhumanities 
of  the  slave  trade  reached  its  height.  The  entire  slave 
population  of  this  province  was  regarded  as  a  chattel. 
Rice  fields  of  this  state  demanded  labor  and  the 
increase  of  the  slave  was  almost  phenomenal.  The 
laws  were  not  surpassed  in  stringency  by  any  other 
colony,  and  it  was  unlawful  for  any  free  person  to 
inhabit  or  trade  with  Negroes.  The  cruelties  of  the 
code  are  without  parallel. 

Gold  win  Smith  says:  "In  the  upshot  she  became 
the  typical  slave  state,  the  heart  of  slavery  and  the 
focus  of  all  the  ideas  and  all  the  ambitions  connected 
with  the  system ;  while  Charleston,  her  social  capital 
and  seaport,  became  the  paradise  of  planter  society 


54  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

with  its  luxury  and  pride.  Her  slave  code  transcended 
even  that  of  Virginia  in  cruelty  and  expressed  still 
more  vividly  the  terrors  of  a  dominant  race.  Every  one 
who  found  a  slave  abroad  without  a  pass  was  to  flog 
him  on  the  spot.  All  Negro  houses  were  to  be  searched 
once  a  fortnight  for  arms  and  for  stolen  goods.  For 
the  fourth  larceny  a  slave  was  to  suffer  death,  and  the 
kind  of  death  was  left  to  the  discretion  of  the  judge. 
For  running  away  a  fourth  time  a  slave  was  to  undergo 
mutilation.  For  punishing  a  slave  so  that  he  died  no 
one  was  to  suffer  any  penalty.  For  the  wilful  murder 
of  a  slave  the  penalty  was  a  fine  of  forty  pounds. 
It  need  not  be  supposed  that  the  most  revolting  articles 
of  the  code  were  often  put  in  force,  or  that  they  repre- 
sent the  general  relations  between  master  and  slave. ' ' 

North  Carolina. — In  this  colony  there  was  but  little 
improvement  on  the  condition  of  the  slave  in  South 
Carolina.  If  any  Negro  showed  the  least  independence 
with  white  men  he  could  be  murdered  in  cold  blood. 
The  free  Negro  population  was  small  and  were  not 
allowed  any  communion  with  the  slaves;  here,  as  else- 
where, the  slave  was  left  in  a  state  of  ignorance  in 
order  to  further  the  interests  of  his  master. 

New  Hampshire. — Early  in  the  history  of  New 
Hampshire  slavery  was  considered  by  the  authorities 
as  a  wicked,  hateful  institution.  The  colony  never 
passed  any  laws  establishing  slavery,  but  as  early  as 
1714  passed  several  laws  regarding  the  conduct  and 
service  of  the  slaves.  In  New  Hampshire  there  were 
slaves  up  to  the  beginning  of  the  war  of  the  Revolu- 
tion, but  they  were  slaves  in  name  only. 

Massachusetts. — In  Massachusetts,  as  well  as  in 
some  other  colonies,  slavery  was  first  introduced  into 
individual  families  and  afterwards  into  communities 


SLAVERY.  55 

where,  without  the  sanction  of  the  law,  usage  and  cus- 
tom made  it  legal.  Finally,  men  desiring  to  enjoy  the 
field  of  unrequiting  labor  gave  it  the  sanction  of  stat- 
utory law. 

Pennsylvania. — Since  the  habit  of  enslaving  the 
Negro  spread  through  the  colonies  north  and  south, 
Pennsylvania,  even,  tolerated  slaves  within  her  borders. 
It  is  said  that  William  Penn  himself  once  owned  slaves. 
Efforts  were  made  in  early  years  to  pass  laws  emanci- 
pating slaves,  but  the  mother  country  would  not  per- 
mit such  laws  at  that  time. 

Slave-Breeding  States. — After  the  establishing  of 
our  republic,  Maryland,  Virginia,  Kentucky  and  Mis- 
souri were  the  border  states  of  slavery.  North  of  these 
the  slave  was  free,  and  even  in  these  states  slavery 
was  found  to  be  an  unprofitable  business  as  far  as  labor 
was  concerned.  We  may  well  then  ask,  "Why  was  not 
slavery  abolished  in  these  states?"  For  the  simple 
reason  that  it  was  found  that  since  the  African  slave 
trade  was  abolished  the  South  needed  an  increasing 
number  of  slaves  for  the  great  plantations.  Here  was 
found  a  profitable  business,  and  these  states  became 
breeding  states  for  the  propagation  of  the  race,  increas- 
ing the  number  so  as  to  flood  the  markets  of  the  South. 
One  of  the  largest  exports  of  these  states  was  slaves. 
It  was  estimated  that  in  1836  the  number  sold  from  the 
single  state  of  Virginia  was  40,000,  yielding  a  return 
of  twenty -four  million  dollars.  This  business,  horrible 
as  it  seems  in  our  day,  was  licensed  and  protected  by 
law,  advertised  in  papers,  and  recognized  as  one  of  the 
branches  of  legitimate  production  of  trade. 

Not  Universally  Countenanced. — It  must  not  be 
supposed  that  this  trade  was  countenanced  by  all  in  the 
South,  even  there,  there  were  men  who  denounced  in 


SLAVERY.  57 

strong  and  vehement  language  the  barbarous  custom  of 
separating  man  and  wife,  mother  and  child,  scattering 
families  never  to  meet  again  until  at  the  great  day 
they  meet  their  inhuman  masters  as  common  accusers. 
The  pathetic  scenes  that  presented  themselves  to  the 
better  element  in  the  South  brought  words  of  condem- 
nation against  the  remorseless ,  traffic  that  presented 
scenes  along  the  streets  and  highways  where  crowds  of 
suffering  victims  whose  ' '  Miserable  condition  was  sec- 
ond only  to  the  wretched  borders  of  Hell, ' '  were  made 
the  victims  of  man's  greed  and  gain. 

Border  States. — The  states  bordering  on  the  slave 
states,  while  not  permitting  slavery  within  their  bor- 
ders, yet  passed  what  were  called  "Black  Laws," 
which  left  the  free  Negro  but  little  better  off  in  Ohio, 
Indiana  and  Illinois  than  in  the  Southern  states.  Black 
or  mulatto  persons  were  not  allowed  to  reside  in  the 
state  without  having  a  certificate  of  freedom.  Later, 
amended  laws  in  Ohio  required  that  a  bond  be  given 
not  to  become  a  charge  upon  the  county  in  which  they 
settled.  They  were  not  permitted  to  give  evidence  in 
any  court  of  record  or  elsewhere  in  the  state  against  a 
white  person.  Severe  penalties  were  inflicted  on  all 
who  harbored  such  as  had  not  given  bonds.  Thus, 
being  denied  the  right  of  citizenship,  ruled  out  of  courts, 
compelled  to  produce  a  certificate  of  freedom,  and  in 
many  other  ways  annoyed  by  laws  limiting  the  rights 
they  were  suffered  to  enjoy,  the  free  Negroes  of  these 
states  were  little  better  than  slaves.  That  they  endured 
patiently  these  restrictions  which  public  sentiment 
threw  across  their  social  and  political  pathway  is  a 
matter  of  record. 

Pensioning  Old  and  Feeble  Slaves. — This  question 
has  been  discussed  and  urged  upon  our  government 


58 


SLAVERY.  59 

repeatedly,  but  no  definite  action  has  been  taken. 
While  race  prejudice  is  rapidly  disappearing,  it  may 
be  safe  to  say  that  before  a  sentiment  can  be  obtained 
that  will  enact  laws  favorable  to  pensioning  old  and 
feeble  slaves  by  congress  or  by  any  state  legislature, 
every  ex-slave  will  have  passed  into  that  life  where  he 
receives  the  recompense  of  reward  for  all  his  deeds,  and 
where  he  is  beyond  the  reach  of  the  inhumanities  of 
the  slave  master  and  needs  no  pension. 

Added  Items. — The  emancipation  of  slaves  in  all  the 
French  colonies  took  place  February  4,  1794. 

The  complete  emancipation  of  slaves  in  the  English 
colonies  occurred  in  1838  to  1839,  when  more  than 
800,000  men,  besides  women  and  children,  were  lib- 
erated. 

Sweden  emancipated  her  slaves  in  1846,  and  this  was 
soon  followed  (in  1848)  by  the  Danish  colonies  pro- 
claiming the  freedom  of  her  slaves. 

Holland  delivered  her  American  colonies  from  slav- 
ery August  8,  1862. 

The  African  slave  trade  was  closed  in  this  countrj 
on  the  first  day  of  January,  1862. 


CHAPTER  III. 

THE  NEGRO  IN  THE  REVOLUTION. 

Slave  Population. — In  1715  the  slave  population 
was  about  60,000,  but  England's  policy  of  crowding  her 
American  plantations  with  slaves  increased  the  num- 
ber rapidly,  so  that  sixty  years  after,  when  the  revolu- 
tionary war  began,  the  slave  population  of  the  thirteen 
colonies  was  about  500,000;  -50,000  of  these  were  found 
in  the  North. 

The  desire  to  gain  liberty  with  such  a  host  of  beings 
was  not  to  be  despised,  and  both  sides  contended  for 
their  services. 

A  Great  Mistake. — If  the  colonists  had  at  once  will- 
ingly enlisted  the  Negro  in  the  cause  of  liberty  it  can 
hardly  be  doubted  that  the  struggle  of  eight  years 
would  have  been  shortened  greatly,  but  in  this  case,  as 
in  many  other  instances,  their  enemy,  the  mother  coun- 
try, succeeded  in  using  the  slaves  to  a  much  greater 
extent  than  the  colonists.  Jefferson  says:  "That  30,- 
ooo  Negroes  from  Virginia  alone  went  to  the  British 
army. "  Had  the  colonies  permitted  the  Negro  to  enlist, 
and  had  the  Negro  been  urged  from  the  first  to  stand 
for  the  cause  of  liberty,  much  bloodshed  might  have 
been  avoided.  The  selfishness  of  the  colonists,  espe- 
cially in  the  South  where  the  opposition  to  the  arming 
of  the  Negro  was  much  stronger  than  the  love  for  inde- 
pendence, asserted  itself  to  such  a  degree  that  any 
effort  to  enlist  the  Negro  in  that  section  seemed  useless. 

The  First  Blood  for  Liberty  shed  in  the  colonies 
was  that  of  a  real  slave  and  Negro.  On  the  5th  day  of 
March,  1770,  occurred  the  Boston  massacre,  which, 

61 


62  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

although  not  opening  the  real  struggle,  yet  was  the 
bloody  drama  that  opened  the  most  eventful  and  thrill- 
ing chapter  in  American  history. 

Crispus  Attacks,  a  runaway  slave,  at  the  head  of  a 
crowd  of  citizens  resolved  that  the  conduct  of  the 
British  soldiers  who  marched  through  Boston  as 
through  a  conquered  city  could  no  longer  be  endured, 
and  led  the  charge  against  the  British  with  the  cry : 
"The  way  to  get  rid  of  these  soldiers  is  to  attack  the 
main  guard.  Strike  at  the  root,  this  is  the  nest." 
The  troops  were  ordered  to  fire,  the  exposed  and  com- 
manding person  of  the  fearless  Attucks  went  down 
first.  Three  others  fell  in  the  same  attack,  Caldwell, 
Gray  and  Maverick.  This  aroused  the  people  of  Bos- 
ton. The  burial  of  these  four  men  from  Faneuil  Hall 
was  attended  by  a  large  and  respectable  concourse  of 
people. 

"Long  as  in  freedom's  cause  the  wise  contend, 
Dear  to  your  country  shall  your  fame  extend; 
While  to  the  world  the  lettered  stone  shall  tell 
Where  Caldwell,  Attucks,  Gray  and  Maverick  fell. ' 
The  following  notice  appeared  in  the  Boston  Gazette 
twenty  years  before  when  Attucks  ran  away  from  his 
master: 

"Ran  away  from  his  master,  William  Brown,  of 
Framingham,  on  the  zoth  of  Sept.  last,  a  Mullato  Fel- 
low, about  27  years  of  age,  named  Crispus,  6  feet  2 
inches  high,  short  curi'd  hair,  his  knees  nearer  together 
than  common ;  had  on  a  light  colored  Bearskin  Coat, 
plain  brown  Fustian  Jacket,  or  brown  All  Wool  one, 
new  Buckskin  breeches,  blue  Yarn  Stockings,  and  a 
checked  woolen  shirt  Whoever  shall  take  up  said 
runaway,  and  convey  him  to  his  abovesaid  master, 
shall  have  ten  pounds,  old  Tenor  Reward,  and  all 


THE  NEGRO  IN  THE  REVOLUTION.          63 

necessary  charges  paid.  And  all  Masters  of  Vessels 
and  others  are  hereby  cautioned  against  concealing  or 
carrying  off  said  Servant  on  Penalty  of  the  Law.  Bos- 
ton, October  2,  1750." 

Hero  and  Martyr. — Attucks  cut  the  cord  and  knot 
that  held  us  to  Great  Britain.  ' '  From  that  moment, ' 
says  Webster,  "we  may  date  the  severance  of  the 
British  Empire."/  It  touched  the  people  of  the  col- 
onies as  they  had  never  been  touched  before.  Orators 
poured  out  upon  this  former  slave,  now  a  hero  and 
martyr,  their  unstinted  praise.  At  each  succeeding 
anniversary  of  this  eventful  day  Crispus  Attucks 
and  his  noble  companions  were  lauded  until  our  Na- 
tional Independence  was  achieved,  when  the  4th  of 
July  was  substituted. 

Committee  of  Safety. — A  committee  of  safety  was 
early  appointed  after  the  beginning  of  the  war,  and 
according  to  its  decision  no  slaves  were  to  be  admitted 
into  the  army  under  any  consideration  whatever.  Some 
free  men  had  already  enlisted.  Peter  Salem  was  a 
slave  who  fought  side  by  side  in  the  ranks  with  white 
soldiers.  It  was  he  who,  on  that  memorable  occa- 
sion at  Bunker  Hill  when  Major  Pitcairn,  at  the 
head  of  the  British  army  made  an  attack  upon  the 
American  forces,  shouting,  "The  day  is  ours," 
poured  the  contents  of  his  gun  into  that  officer's  body 
killing  him  instantly,  and  checking  temporarily  the 
advance  of  the  British. 

Of  this  occasion  Mr.  Aaron  White,  of  the  Massa- 
chusetts Historical  Society,  writes: 

"  With  regard  to  the  black  hero  of  Bunker  Hill, 
I  never  knew  him  personally  nor  did  I  ever  hear  from 
his  lips  the  story  of  his  achievements;  but  I  have 
better  authority.  A  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  who 


64  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

-was  present  at  the  Bunker  Hill  battle,  related  to  my 
father  the  story  of  the  death  of  Major  Pitcairn.  At 
the  moment  when  the  major  appeared,  startling  the 
men  before  him,  a  Negro  stepped  forward,  and,  aim- 
ing his  musket  at  the  major's  bosom,  blew  him  through. 
I  have  frequently  heard  my  father  relate  the  story  and 
have  no  doubt  of  its  truth.  Salem  was  not  the  only 
Negro  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  Hill.  Others  whose 
bravery  has  not  been  recorded  participated  in  the  bat- 
tle, showing  valor  and  fidelity." 

Major  Lawrence,  who  fought  through  the  war  from 
Concord  to  the  peace  of  1783,  and  who  participated  in 
many  of  the  severest  battles,  at  one  time  commanded 
a  company  of  Negroes  whose  courage,  military  disci- 
pline and  fidelity  he  spoke  of  with  respect.  On  one 
occasion,  being  out  reconnoitering  with  his  company, 
he  got  so  far  in  advance  of  his  command  that  he  was 
surrounded  and  on  the  point  of  being  made  a  prisoner 
by  the  enemy.  The  colored  men,  soon  discovering 
his  peril,  rushed  to  his  rescue  and  fought  with  the 
most  determined  bravery  till  that  rescue  was  effect- 
ually secured.  He  never  forgot  this  circumstance, 
and  ever  after  took  special  pains  to  show  kindness 
and  hospitality  to  any  individual  of  the  colored  race 
who  came  near  his  dwelling. 

Freeing  the  Slave. — After  the  committee  of  safety 
had  excluded  slaves  from  the  army  many  of  them 
were  freed  by  their  masters  on  condition  that  they 
join  the  army.  But  the  prejudice  against  the  Negro 
asserted  itself  more  and  more  until  the  legislative 
bodies  took  action  and  entirely  prevented  Negroes 
from  enlisting. 

Colonial  Congress.— Edward  Rutledge,  of  South 
Carolina,  moved  that  all  Negroes  be  discharged  that 


THE  NEGRO  IN  THE  REVOLUTION.          65 

were  in  the  army.  This  proposition  was  strongly 
supported  by  the  Southern  delegates,  but  the  North- 
ern delegates  succeeded  in  voting  it  down.  The  con- 
test, however,  continued  until  a  conference  committee 
was  called  at  Cambridge,  at  which  it  was  agreed  that 
the  Negro  should  be  rejected  altogether. 

Reorganization. — In  the  reorganization  of  the  army 
many  officers  who  had  served  with  Negroes  in  the 
militia,  and  who  had  been  enlisted  in  the  Colonial 
army,  protested  against  the  exclusion  of  their  old 
comrades  on  account  of  color.  Washington  saw  what 
might  be  the  result  if  they  were  not  permitted  to 
enlist,  and  gave  his  consent  to  the  enlistment  with  this 
proviso — "If  this  is  disapproved  by  Congress  I  will  put 
a  stop  to  it. ' '  It  could  be  clearly  seen  that  if  a  Negro 
was  not  permitted  in  the  army  the  British  would  gain 
the  advantage  over  the  Colonial  forces,  and  no  one 
could  predict  what  the  Negro  might  do.  Congress 
reluctantly  receded  from  its  position  and  granted  per- 
mission to  enroll  Negroes  under  certain  conditions. 

Lord  Dunmore,  who  had  charge  of  the  British  forces 
in  the  South,  proclaimed  freedom  to  all  the  slaves  who 
would  repair  to  his  standard  and  bear  arms  to  the 
king.  The  flocking  of  slaves  to  the  British  standard 
greatly  alarmed  the  Colonial  forces  and  caused  them 
to  utilize  the  Negro  forces,  but  in  this  the  British  had 
already  preceded  them. 

The  Negro  Prince. — It  is  impossible  to  recite  all  in- 
cidents and  circumstances  showing  the  heroism  and 
bravery  on  the  part  of  the  Negro  in  this  war,  but  a 
few  stand  out  more  prominently  than  others.  Of 
these  one  is  the  Negro  Prince,  in  Colonel  Barton's 
command,  who  succeeded  in  capturing  General  Pres 

5 


66  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

cott  in  bed.     The  daring  part  that  this  negro  took 
is  shown  in  the  following : 

'*  The  pleasing  information  is  received  here  that 
Lieutenant-Colonel  Barton,  of  the  Rhode  Island  mi- 
litia, planned  a  bold  exploit  for  the  purpose  of  sur- 
prising and  taking  Major-General  Prescott,  the  com- 
manding officer  of  the  royal  army,  at  Newport.  Taking 
with  him,  in  the  night,  about  forty  men,  in  two  boats, 
with  oars  muffled,  he  had  the  address  to  elude  the 
vigilance  of  the  ships-of-war  and  guard  boats,  and, 
having  arrived  undiscovered  at  the  quarters  of  Gen- 
eral Prescott,  they  were  taken  for  the  sentinels ;  and 
the  general  was  not  alarmed  till  the  captors  were  at 
the  door  of  his  lodging  chamber,  which  was  fast  closed. 
A  Negro  man  named  Prince,  instantly  thrust  his  beetle 
head  through  the  panel  door  and  seized  his  victim 
while  in  bed.  This  event  is  extremely  honorable  to 
the  enterprising  spirit  of  Colonel  Barton,  and  is  con- 
sidered an  ample  retaliation  for  the  capture  of  General 
Lee  by  Colonel  Harcourt.  The  event  occasions  great 
joy  and  exultation,  as  it  puts  in  our  possession  an 
officer  of  equal  rank  with  General  Lee,  by  which 
means  an  exchange  may  be  obtained.  Congress  re- 
solved that  an  elegant  sword  should  be  presented  to 
Colonel  Barton  for  his  brave  exploit." 

Major  Jeffrey. — Among  the  brave  blacks  who  fought 
in  the  battles  for  American  liberty  was  Major  Jeffrey, 
a  Tennesseean,  who,  during  the  campaign  of  Major- 
General  Andrew  Jackson,  in  Mobile,  filled  the  place  of 
' '  regular  ' '  among  the  soldiers.  In  the  charge  made 
by  General  Stump  against  the  enemy  the  Americans 
were  repulsed  and  thrown  into  disorder,  Major  Stump 
being  forced  to  retire  in  a  manner  by  no  means  desir- 
able under  the  circumstances.  Major  Jeffrey,  who 


THE    flEGRO    IN    THE    REVOLUTION.  67 

was  but  a  common  soldier,  seeing  the  condition  of  his 
comrades  and  comprehending  the  disastrous  results 
about  to  befall  them,  rushed  forward,  mounted  a  horse, 
took  command  of  the  troops,  and  by  an  heroic  effort 
rallied  them  to  the  charge,  completely  routing  the 
enemy  who  left  the  Americans  masters  of  the  field. 
He  at  once  received  from  the  general  the  title  of 
"major,"  though  he  could  not,  according  to  the  Amer- 
ican policy,  so  commission  him.  To  the  day  of  his 
death  he  was  known  by  that  title  in  Nashville,  where 
he  resided,  and  the  circumstances  which  entitled  him 
to  it  were  constantly  the  subject  of  popular  conver- 
sation. 

Major  Jeffrey  was  highly  respected  by  the  whites 
generally,  and  revered  in  his  own  neighborhood  by 
all  the  colored  people  who  knew  him. 

A  few  years  ago,  receiving  an  indignity  from  a 
common  ruffian,  he  was  forced  to  strike  him  in  self 
defense,  for  which  act,  in  accordance  with  the  laws 
of  slavery  in  that  as  well  as  many  other  of  the  slave 
states,  he  was  compelled  to  receive  on  his  naked  per- 
son, nine  and  thirty  lashes  with  a  rawhide !  This,  at 
the  age  of  seventy-odd,  after  the  distinguished  services 
rendered  his  country,  probably  when  the  white  ruffian 
by  whom  he  was  tortured  was  unable  to  raise  an  arm 
in  self  defense,  was  more  than  he  could  bear ;  it  broke 
his  heart,  and  he  sank  to  rise  no  more,  till  summoned 
by  the  blast  of  the  last  trumpet,  to  stand  on  the  bat- 
tlefield of  the  general  resurrection. 

Re-enslavement. — Many  Negroes  were  induced  to 
enlist  in  the  Colonial  army  with  the  understanding 
that  they  were  to  have  their  freedom  at  the  close  of 
the  war.  But  the  re-enslaving  of  the  Negro  who 
fought  for  American  independence  by  stay-at-horaes 


68  PROGRESS   OF  A   RACE. 

was  a  flagrant  outrage.  In  the  legislatures  of  some 
states  they  passed  acts  rebuking  the  injustice  of  such 
treatment. 

The  Legislature  of  Virginia  ordered  that  persons 
in  the  states  who  caused  the  slaves  to  enlist  as  free 
persons  could  not  thereafter  force  them  to  return  to  a 
state  of  servitude,  so  contradictory  to  that  principle 
of  justice  and  their  own  solemn  vows.  Every  slave 
who  had  enlisted  in  any  regiment,  and  who  had  been 
received  as  a  substitute  for  any  free  person  whose 
duty  it  was  to  serve  in  a  regiment,  was  held  and 
deemed  free  in  as  full  and  ample  a  manner  as  if  each 
one  who  came  had  been  especially  named  in  the  act. 

Simon  Lee. — Simon  Lee,  grandfather  of  Wm.  Wells 
Brown,  was  a  slave  in  Virginia  and  served  in  the  war 
of  the  Revolution.  Although  honorably  discharged 
with  the  other  troops  at  the  close  of  the  war  he  was 
sent  back  to  his  master  where  he  spent  the  remainder 
of  his  life  toiling  on  a  tobacco  plantation. 

Massachusetts,  although  having  abolished  slavery 
in  1783,  it  seems  was  still  subjected  to  slave  hunts, 
and  her  Negro  soldiers  were  insulted  by  attempts  to 
re-enslave  them. 

The  British  Army. — Not  only  did  the  soldiers  of 
the  American  army  receive  unjust  treatment  but  the 
British,  who  had  promised  freedom  to  all  who  would 
join  their  ranks,  after  enduring  the  hardships  of  the 
war  often  committed  them  back  to  slavery. 

Mr.  Jefferson  says:  "  From  an  estimate  I  made  at 
that  time,  on  the  best  information  I  could  collect,  I 
supposed  the  state  of  Virginia  lost  under  Lord  Corn- 
wallis'  hand  that  year,  about  thirty  thousand  slaves, 
•and  that  of  these  twenty  thousand  died  of  the  small- 
pox and  camp  fever.  The  rest  were  partly  sent  to 


THE  NEGRO  IN  THE  REVOLUTION.          69 

the  West  Indies  and  exchanged  for  rum,  sugar,  coffee 
and  fruit,  and  partly  sent  to  New  York,  from  whence 
they  went,  at  the  peace,  either  to  Nova  Scotia  or  to 
England.  From  this  place  I  believe  they  have  lately 
been  sent  to  Africa.  History  will  never  relate  the 
horrors  committed  by  the  British  army  in  the  South- 
ern states  of  America. ' ' 

The  Heroism  of  the  Negro.— The  heroism  of  the 
Negro  has  been  eulogized  by  many  of  our  American 
statesmen,  notably  Mr.  Pinckney  and  Mr.  Eustis. 

Mr.  Finckney  says :  "  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that 
notwithstanding,  in  the  course  of  the  Revolution,  the 
Southern  states  were  continually  overrun  by  the 
British,  and  that  all  Negroes  in  them  had  an  oppor- 
tunity of  leaving  their  owners,  few  did,  proving  there- 
by not  only  a  most  remarkable  attachment  to  their 
owners,  but  the  mildness  of  the  treatment  from  whence 
their  affections  sprang.  They  then  were,  as  they  still 
are,  as  valuable  a  part  of  our  population  to  the  Union 
as  any  other  equal  number  of  inhabitants.  They 
were  in  numerous  instances  the  pioneers,  and  in  all, 
the  laborers  of  your  armies.  To  their  hands  were 
owing  the  erection  of  the  greatest  part  of  the  forti- 
fications raised  for  the  protection  of  our  country;  some 
of  which,  particularly  Fort  Moultrie,  gave,  at  the 
earlier  period  of  the  inexperience  and  untried  valor 
of  our  citizens,  immortality  to  American  arms.  In 
the  Northern  states  numerous  bodies  of  them  were 
enrolled  into,  and  fought  by  the  side  of  the  whites, 
the  battles  of  the  Revolution." 

Mr.  Eustis,  of  Massachusetts,  said:  "At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  Revolutionary  war  there  were  found 
in  the  Middle  and  Northern  states  many  blacks  and 
other  people  of  color  capable  of  bearing  arms ;  a  part 


70  PROGRESS   OF   a    RACE. 

of  them  free,  the  greater  part  slaves.  The  freemen 
entered  our  ranks  with  the  whites.  The  time  of  those 
who  were  slaves  was  purchased  by  the  states,  and  they 
were  induced  to  enter  the  service  in  consequence  of 
a  law  by  which,  on  condition  of  their  serving  in  the 
ranks  during  the  war,  they  were  made  freemen. ' ' 

"  The  war  over  and  peace  restored,  these  men  re- 
turned to  their  respective  states,  and  who  could  have 
said  to  them  on  their  return  to  civil  life  after  having 
shed  their  blood  in  common  with  the  whites  in  the 
defense  of  the  liberties  of  their  country,  You  are  not 
to  participate  in  the  liberty  for  which  you  have  been 
fighting?  Certainly  no  white  man  in  Massachussetts. ' ' 
Rev.  Dr.  Hopkins,  of  Rhode  Island,  said : 
"  God  is  so  ordering  it  in  his  providence  that  it 
seems  absolutely  necessary  something  should  speedily 
be  done  with  respect  to  the  slaves  among  us,  in  order 
to  our  safety  and  to  prevent  their  turning  against  us 
in  our  present  struggle,  in  order  to  get  their  liberty. 
Our,  oppressors  have  planned  to  get  the  blacks  and  in- 
duce them  to  take  up  arms  against  us,  by  promising 
them  liberty  on  this  condition,  and  this  plan  they  are 
prosecuting  to  the  utmost  of  their  power,  by  which 
means  they  have  persuaded  numbers  to  "join  them. 
And  should  we  attempt  to  restrain  them  by  force 
and  severity,  keeping  a  strict  guard  over  them,  and 
punishing  those  severely  who  shall  be  detected  in  at- 
tempting to  join  our  oppressors,  this  will  only  be  mak- 
ing bad  worse,  and  serve  to  render  our  inconsistence, 
oppression  and  cruelty  more  criminal,  perspicuous  and 
shocking,  and  bring  down  the  righteous  vengeance 
of  Heaven  on  our  heads.  The  only  way  pointed  out 
to  prevent  this  threatening  evil  is  to  set  the  blacks 
at  liberty  ourselves  by  some  public  act  and  laws,  and 


THE    NEGRO    IN   THE    REVOLUTION.  71 

then  give  them  proper  encouragement  to  labor,  or 
take  arms  in  the  defense  of  the  American  cause,  as 
they  shall  choose.  This  would  at  once  be  doing  them 
some  degree  of  justice,  and  defeating  our  enemies  in 
the  scheme  that  they  are  prosecuting," 

Colonel  Laurens. — No  man  stands  out  more  prom- 
inently in  the  war  of  the  Revolution  than  Colonel 
Laurens.  He  labored  earnestly  for  the  South  to  over- 
come the  prejudices  and  to  raise  colored  regiments. 
Although  supported  by  the  general  government  the 
selfishness  of  the  Southern  slaveholder  frustrated  his 
plans.  In  one  of  his  letters  to  Washington  he  says : 
"The  approaching  session  of  the  Georgia  legislature 
induces  me  to  remain  in  these  quarters  for  the  purpose 
of  taking  new  measures  on  the  subject  of  our  black 
levies.  I  shall,  with  all  the  tenacity  of  a  man,  do 
everything  that  I  can  in  regaining  a  last  effort  on  so 
interesting  an  occasion. ' '  Washington's  reply  showed 
that  he,  too,  had  lost  faith  in  the  patriotism  of  the 
citizens  of  the  South  to  a  great  degree.  He  said: 

' '  I  must  confess  that  I  am  not  at  all  astonished  at 
the  failure  of  your  plan.  That  spirit  of  freedom  which, 
at  the  commencement  of  this  contest,  would  have 
gladly  sacrificed  everything  to  the  attainment  of  its 
object  has  long  since  subsided,  and  every  selfish  pas- 
sion has  taken  its  place.  It  is  not  the  public,  but  pri- 
vate interest  which  influences  the  generality  of  man- 
kind, nor  can  the  Americans  any  longer  boast  an 
exception.  Under  these  circumstances  it  would  rather 
have  been  surprising  if  you  had  succeeded ;  nor  will 
you,  I  fear,  have  better  success  in  Georgia." 

Negro  Soldiers. — George  Williams  says  as  soldiers 
the  Negroes  went  far  beyond  the  most  liberal  expec- 
tations of  their  staun chest  friends.  Associated  with 


72  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

white  men,  many  of  whom  were  superior  gentlemen 
and  nearly  all  of  whom  were  brave  and  enthusiastic, 
the  Negro  soldiers  of  the  American  army  became 
worthy  of  the  cause  they  fought  to  sustain.  Colonel 
Alexander  Hamilton  had  said :  ' '  Their  natural  facul- 
ties are  as  good  as  ours, ' '  and  the  assertion  was  sup- 
ported by  their  splendid  behavior  on  all  the  battlefields 
of  the  Revolution.  Endowed  by  nature  with  a  poetic 
element,  faithful  to  trusts,  abiding  in  friendship,  bound 
by  the  golden  threads  of  attachment  to  places  and 
persons,  enthusiastic  in  personal  endeavor,  sentimental 
and  chivalric,  they  made  hardy  and  intrepid  soldiers. 
The  daring,  boisterous  enthusiasm  with  which  they 
sprang  to  arms  disarmed  racial  prejudice  of  its  sting 
and  made  friends  of  foes. 

Their  cheerfulness  in  camp,  their  celerity  in  the 
performance  of  fatigue-duty,  their  patient  endurance 
of  heat  and  cold,  hunger  and  thirst,  and  their  bold 
efficiency  in  battle,  made  them  welcome  companions 
wherever  they  went.  The  officers  who  frowned  at 
their  presence  in  the  army  at  first,  early  learned  from 
experience,  that  they  were  the  equals  of  any  troops 
in  the  army  for  severe  service  in  camp  and  excellent 
fighting  in  the  field. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

ANTI-SLAVERY   AGITATION. 

Slavery  Established  in  the  South.— After  the  Revo- 

lution,  when  the  new  nation  was  recovering  from  the 
effects  of  the  long  continued  war,  it  was  found  that 
slavery  had  established  itself  in  the  Southern  States 
while  in  the  North,  slaves  were  being  set  free. 

Responsibility. — The  responsibility  of  fastening 
slavery  upon  the  new  republic  was  not  the  fault  of  the 
Declaration  of  Independence,  which  stated  that  all  men 
are  created  equal  and  are  endowed  by  the  Creator  with 
inalienable  rights  of  life,  liberty,  and  the  pursuit  of 
happiness.  Southern  statesmen  proved  themselves 
masters  of  the  situation,  and,  seeing  great  gain  in  the 
traffic  in  slaves,  labored  to  establish  it  more  and  more  in 
the  South.  While  they  could  not  hide  behind  the  walls 
of  the  constitution  they  took  refuge,  as  they  thought, 
behind  the  Bible,  and  urged  that  the  divine  origin  of 
slavery  was  incontrovertible,  that  slavery  was  the  nor- 
mal condition  of  every  Negro,  and  that  the  white  man 
was  God's  agent  to  carry  out  the  prophecy  of  Noah 
respecting  the  descendants  of  Ham. 

Agitation. — While  in  the  slave  states  there  was  a 
determined  effort  to  establish  slavery,  yet  throughout 
the  whole  nation,  especially  in  the  North,  the  anti-slav- 
ery sentiment  was  being  agitated  and  increased.  Some 
statesmen,  notably  Mr.  Jefferson,  prophesied  a  dissolu- 
tion of  the  Union  if  the  nation  were  to  remain  half 
slave  and  half  free. 

The  whole  commerce  between  master  and  slave  was 

78 


74  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

denounced  as  the  most  unrelenting  despotism  on  the 
one  part  and  degrading  submission  on  the  other. 

Property  in  Man. — Says  George  Williams:  "When 
the  doctrine  of  property  in  man  was  driven  out  of 
Europe  as  an  exile  and  found  a  home  in  this  New 
World  in  the  West,  the  ancient  and  time  honored  anti- 
slavery  sentiment  combined  all  that  was  good  in  brain, 
heart  and  civilization,  and  hurled  itself  with  righteous 
indignation  against  the  institution  of  slavery  the  per- 
fected curse  of  the  ages. 

The  Quakers. — Foremost  in  the  anti-slavery  agita- 
tion were  the  good  and  kind-hearted  Quakers,  or 
Friends.  In  our  poor  Negro  slaves  they  saw  a  brother, 
and  very  early  in  the  history  of  the  nation  emancipated 
all  their  slaves  and  labored  to  increase  the  anti-slavery 
sentiment. 

Benjamin  Lundy. — One  of  the  first  agitators  of  the 
anti-slavery  movement  was  Benjamin  Lundy,  who 
traveled  through  a  number  of  states  and  labored  inces- 
santly for  the  freeing  of  the  Negro.  In  1830  he  says: 
4 '  I  have  within  ten  years  sacrificed  several  thousands  of 
dollars  of  my  own  earnings,  I  have  traveled  upwards  of 
5,000  miles  on  foot  and  more  than  20,000  in  other  ways, 
have  visited  nineteen  states  of  this  Union  and  held 
more  than  two  hundred  public  meetings,  have  per- 
formed two  voyages  to  the  West  Indies,  by  which 
means  the  emancipation  of  a  considerable  number  of 
slaves  has  been  affected,  and,  I  hope,  the  way  paved 
for  the  enfranchisement  of  many  more. ' '  Considering 
the  extreme  dangers  to  which  any  one  agitating  anti- 
slavery  was  subjected  in  these  times  this  was  a  remark- 
able work.  He  was  afterwards  associated  with  William 
Lloyd  Garrison.  These  men,  together  equally  ardent 
in  their  efforts  to  abolish  slavery,  were,  however,  not 


ANTI-SLAVERY   AGITATION.  75 

agreed  as  to  the  method.  Lundy  favored  gradual 
emancipation,  Garrison  immediate  and  unconditional 
emancipation. 

William  Lloyd  Garrison. — This  young  man  devoted 
his  life  to  the  cause  of  freeing  the  Negro.  At  an  early 
period  he  edited  an  anti-slavery  paper  and  afterwards 


WILLIAM   LLOYD   GARRISON. 


united  with  Mr.  Lundy  in  publishing  a  paper  at  Balti- 
more. Seeing  a  load  of  slaves  for  the  New  Orleans 
market,  the  sundering  of  families,  as  well  as  the  har- 
rowing cruelties  that  attended  these  scenes,  he  de- 
nounced in  his  paper  in  no  measured  terms,  the  whole 
institution,  and  expressed  his  determination  to  cover 
with  thick  infamy  all  who  were  engaged  in  the  trans- 


76  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

action.  The  result  was  that  his  paper  was  destroyed, 
lie  was  arrested,  tried  for  libel,  and  convicted  and 
imprisoned.  The  exorbitant  fine  imposed  upon  him 
was  afterwards  paid  by  the  benevolent  Arthur  Tap- 
pan.  Garrison  went  forth  from  the  prison  if  possible 
a  more  inveterate  foe  to  slavery  than  ever.  It  was  not 
popular  to  denounce  slavery  and  hence  this  young 
orator  often  encountered  great  dangers.  When  cau- 
tioned he  replied:  "I  am  aware  that  many  object  to 
the  severity  of  my  language,  but  is  there  not  cause  for 
severity.  I  am  but  as  harsh  as  truth  and  as  uncom- 
promising as  justice.  Tell  a  man  whose  house  is  on 
fire  to  give  a  moderate  alarm ;  tell  him  to  moderately 
rescue  his  wife  from  the  hands  of  the  ravisher ;  tell  the 
mother  to  gradually  extricate  her  babe  from  the  fire 
into  which  it  has  fallen ;  but  urge  me  not  to  use  mod- 
eration in  a  cause  like  the  present.  I  am  in  earnest. 
I  will  not  equivocate — I  will  not  excuse — I  will  not 
retreat  a  single  inch.  And  I  will  be  heard. ' '  There 
never  was  a  more  intrepid  leader  against  slavery  than 
William  Lloyd  Garrison. 

Anti-Slavery  Societies. — In  1836  there  were  250 
auxiliary  societies  in  thirteen  states,  and  eighteen 
months  later  they  had  increased  to  1,000. 

Silence  of  the  Pulpit. — It  is  true  that  many  of  the 
foremost  ministers  of  the  day  maintained  an  unbroken 
silence  on  the  slavery  question,  but  all  could  not  be 
kept  silent.  There  were  notable  exceptions  in  many 
parts  of  the  north,  while  in  some  parts  anti-slavery 
men  who  had  been  hoping  for  aid  from  the  church 
went  out  of  the  church  temporarily,  hoping  that  the 
scales  would  drop  from  the  eyes  of  the  preachers  ere 
long.  Dr.  Albert  Barnes  stated:  "That  there  was  no 
power  out  of  the  church  that  would  sustain  slavery  an 
hour  if  it  were  not  sustained  in  it. " 


ANTI-SLAVERY   AGITATION.  77 

Leaders  of  the  Anti-Slavery  Party. — Among  the 
leaders  of  the  anti-slavery  party  we  may  mention  Par- 
ker Pillsbury,  Stephen  Foster,  James  G.  Birney  and 
Samuel  Brooke.  Mr.  Pillsbury  said:  "The  anti- 
slavery  movement  has  unmasked  the  character  of  the 
American  church.  Our  religion  has  been  found  at  war 
with  the  interests  of  humanity  and  the  laws  of  God. 
And  it  is  more  than  time  the  world  was  awakened  to 
its  unhallowed  influence  on  the  hopes  and  happiness 
of  man  while  it  makes  itself  the  palladium  of  the  foul- 
est iniquity  ever  perpetrated  in  the  sight  of  Heaven. ' ' 

Theodore  Parker  was  another  of  the  strong  men  who 
lent  his  influence  wholly  against  slavery. 

Other  Agitators. — Foremost  among  agitators  were 
such  men  as  E.  P.  Lovejoy,  who  afterwards  gave  his 
life  for  the  cause,  James  G.  Birney,  Cassius  M.  Clay 
and  John  Brown.  Of  John  Brown  it  may  be  said  that 
it  was  given  to  him  to  write  the  lesson  upon  the  hearts 
of  the  American  people  so  that  they  were  enabled,  a 
few  years  later,  to  practice  the  doctrine  of  resistance 
and  preserve  the  nation  against  the  bloody  aggressions 
of  the  Southern  Confederacy. 

Colonization  Societies. — These  were  formed  earlier 
than  any  other  anti-slavery  organizations.  Their  objects 
were  to  rescue  the  free  colored  people  of  the  United 
States  from  the  political  and  social  disadvantages  and 
to  place  them  in  a  country  where  they  might  enjoy  the 
benefits  of  free  government  with  all  the  blessings 
which  it  brings  in  its  train.  The  American  Coloniza- 
tion Society  was  never  able  to  secure  the  confidence 
and  the  support  of  the  anti-slavery  societies  of  the  day 
nor  the  Negro  in  general.  It  did  not  oppose  slavery  in 
its  stronghold,  but  simply  sought  to  secure  a  place  for 
freed  Negroes.  The  press,  in  many  cases,  lent  its  aid 


78 


PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 


to  the  colonization  societies,  but,  notwithstanding  the 
apparent  favor  which  it  received,  it  was  readily  seen 
that  to  send  the  Negro  to  Africa  or  some  other  favored 
spot  was  an  impossibility.  The  society  lost  strength 


WENDELL  PHILLIPS. 

yearly  until  all  were  convinced  the  race  could  not  be 
colonized,  but  that  the  Negro  must  be  emancipated 
here  and  remain  here. 

Wendell  Phillips. — One  of  Mr.  Garrison's  most  able 
and  earnest  supporters  was  Wendell  Phillips.    Although 


ANTI-SLAVERY   AGITATION.  79 

in  many  respects  they  strangely  differed  yet  they  stood 
united  for  the  cause  of  freedom ;  one  was  a  self-made 
man,  the  other  a  product  of  New  England  culture. 
One  was  the  executive  of  the  anti-slavery  movement, 
the  other  the  orator  spreading  the  eloquence  that  melted 
the  fetters  from  a  race  and  transformed  a  nation.  Mr. 
Phillips  was  a  reformer  and  early  espoused  the  cause 
of  anti-slavery.  One  of  his  most  remarkable  addresses 
against  slavery  was  made  in  Faneuil  Hall,  Boston, 
where  a  number  had  gathered  after  the  murder  of  Love- 
joy  to  discuss  the  subject  of  slavery.  Faneuil  Hall  was 
secured  by  Dr.  Channing.  It  was  crowded  at  the  time 
of  the  meeting,  thronged  with  three  factions,  some 
being  for  free  discussion,  some  to  make  mischief,  and 
others,  idle  spectators,  were  swayed  to  and  fro  by  each 
speaker  in  turn.  Resolutions  were  offered  denouncing 
the  murder  of  Lovejoy.  To  defeat  the  adoption  of 
these  resolutions  a  popular  politician,  attorney-general 
of  Massachusetts,  made  a  captivating  speech  and 
almost  succeeded  in  turning  the  audience  against  the 
cause  for  which  they  had  met.  The  foes  of  freedom, 
through  this  astute  attorney,  captured  the  hall  and 
were  ready  to  vote  down  the  resolutions.  It  was  at 
this  important  moment,  under  the  very  shadow  of  the 
pending  catastrophe,  that  Wendell  Phillips  claimed 
the  floor  and  with  his  marvelous  voice  captivated 
the  ears  of  his  audience.  Mr.  Phillips  soon  made  him- 
self master  of  the  situation  and  hurled  anathemas  at  the 
previous  speaker,  and  so  completely  carried  his  audi- 
ence with  him  that  at  the  close,  with  a  whirlwind  of 
applause,  the  resolutions  were  carried  by  an  over- 
whelming vote.  Oliver  Johnson  says  of  this  speech : 
"I  had  heard  Phillips  once  before,  and  my  expecta- 
tions were  high,  but  he  transcended  them  and  took  the 
audience  by  storm." 


80  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

It  was  a  speech  to  which  not  even  the  ablest  report 
could  do  justice,  for  such  a  report  could  not  bring  the 
scene  and  the  speaker  vividly  before  the  people.  Mr. 
Phillips,  by  espousing  the  cause  of  anti-slavery,  was 
ostracised  from  social  circles,  for  caste  at  that  time  in 
New  England  knew  no  recognition  of  true  moral  worth. 
It  cost  Wendell  Phillips  much  when  he  became  an 
abolitionist.  This  speech  on  Lovejoy's  murder  in 
Faneuil  Hall,  cut  him  from  all  social  intercourse  with 
previous  friends.  No  one  but  those  who  have  endured 
the  persecutions  of  these  days  can  understand  what 
it  cost  these  men  to  stand  so  earnestly  for  the  freedom 
of  the  slaves.  Their  true  moral  worth  cannot  be  too 
forcibly  presented  to  the  youth  of  to-day.  Long  live 
in  the  memory  of  the  present  and  future  generations 
men  like  Wendell  Phillips  who  staked  their  all  and 
were  ready  at  any  cost  to  stand  for  the  suppression  of 
the  slave  trade. 

Convention  of  Colored  People, — As  early  as  1831  the 
freed  Negroes  throughout  the  Northern  states  deter- 
mined to  do  what  they  could  for  their  brethren  in 
bonds.  Several  conventions  were  held.  A  college  was 
to  be  established  and  no  doubt  much  good  might  have 
been  done  had  they  been  permitted  to  continue  in  their 
work.  Able  leaders  succeeded  in  making  the  conven- 
tion a  power,  but  the  intense  hatred  of  the  slavery 
element  succeeded  in  abolishing  these  societies  com- 
posed of  persons  of  color.  These  societies  were  dis- 
banded and  their  members  took  their  places  in  white 
societies. 

The  Proposed  College. — A  plan  was  proposed  at  one 
of  these  conventions  that  a  college  on  the  manual-labor 
system  be  established  in  New  Haven.  It  seems,  how- 
ever, New  Haven  resented  the  idea  of  having  a  colored 


ANTI-SLAVERY   AGITATION. 


81 


CHARLES   SUMNER. 

A  staunch  anti-slavery  man  who  did  more  in  Congress  for  the 

freedom  of  the  slave  than  any  other  man.     He  was 

Senator  from  Massachusetts. 


college  and  another  site  was  selected.  The  disband- 
ing of  the  colored  associations  put  a  stop  to  this  move- 
ment which  might  have  brought  so  much  good  to  the 
whole  of  the  colored  race. 

Anti-Slavery  Women  of  America. — In  1837  the  anti- 
slavery  women  met  in  their  first  convention  in  New 
fork,  and  the  question  as  to  admitting  colored  women 


82  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

was  discussed  and  ably  defended.  It  was  finally  decided 
that  the  society  should  admit  colored  members  as  well. 
The  following  lines  by  a  colored  member.  Miss  Sarah 
Forten,  justified  the  hopes  of  her  white  sisters  concern- 
ing the  race : 

"We  are  thy  sisters.     God  has  truly  said 
That  of  one  blood  the  nations  he  has  made. 
Oh,  Christian  woman,  in  a  Christian  land, 
Canst  thou  unblushing  read  this  great  command? 
Suffer  the  wrongs  which  wring  our  inmost  heart, 
To  draw  one  throb  of  pity  on  thy  part. 
Our  skins  may  differ,  but  from  thee  we  claim 
A  sister's  privilege  and  a  sister's  name." 

Anti-Slavery  Orators. — The  arguments  of  anti- 
slavery  orators  were  often  met  by  rotten  eggs  and  many 
of  them  were  abused.  Mr.  Garrison  was  dragged 
through  the  streets  of  Boston  with  a  halter  about  his 
neck.  Colored  schools  were  broken  up.  Public  meet- 
ings were  disturbed  by  pro-slavery  mobs.  All  this 
violent  opposition  added  fuel  to  the  flame  and  made 
the  anti-slavery  agitators  all  the  bolder.  While  the 
foreign  slave  trade  had  been  suppressed  slave  popula- 
tion was  increasing  at  a  wonderful  ratio.  Garrison's 
voice  was  not  uncertain  in  those  days.  In  July,  1860, 
he  declared:  "Our  object  is  the  abolition  of  slavery 
throughout  the  land.  I  am  for  meddling  with  slavery 
everywhere — attacking  it  by  night  and  by  day,  in  sea- 
son and  out  of  season — in  order  to  effect  its  overthrow. 
Down  with  this  slave-holding  government!  Let  this 
'covenant  with  death  and  agreement  with  hell*  be 
annulled!  Let  there  be  a  free,  independent  Northern 
republic  and  the  speedy  abolition  of  slavery  will  inev- 
itably follow." 


HARRIET   BEECHER    STOWE. 

Author  nf  "Uncle  Tom's  Cabin. 

83 


84  PROGRESS   OF  A  RACE. 

Literature. — Anti-slavery  literature  was  scattered 
throughout  the  nation.  Many  pamphlets  and  books 
were  written  by  eminent  Negroes  informing  the  pub- 
lic mind,  stimulating  the  action  and  touching  the  heart 
of  the.civilized  world  of  two  continents.  ' '  Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin,"  however,  pleaded  the  cause  of  slavery  more 
effectually  than  the  millions  of  anti-slavery  books  and 
pamphlets,  presenting  the  despairing  cry  of  the  en- 
slaved, the*  struggle  of  fettered  manhood,  and  touched 
the  sympathies  of  the  youth  as  well  as  the  aged  with  a 
pity  for  the  slave  and  a  determination  to  abolish  so 
hideous  an  institution. 

Harriet  Beecher  Stowe. — Although  Harriet  Beecher 
Stowe  was  not  permitted  to  take  an  active  and  direct 
part  in  freeing  the  slaves,  yet  her  work,  "Uncle  Tom's 
Cabin, ' '  did  more  in  bringing  about  the  final  liberation 
of  the  slave  than  any  other  agency.  This  volume  has 
been  translated  into  many  languages.  Everywhere 
read  it  is  destined  to  create  a  sentiment  against  the 
traffic  in  man. 

The  Pro- Slavery  Eeaction. — The  agitation  of  the 
anti-slavery  question  brought  about  a  strong  opposition 
to  any  effort  made  to  free  the  slaves.  Rewards  of 
Sio,ooo  and  even  $50,000  were  offered  for  the  heads  of 
prominent  abolitionists.  Andrew  Jackson  in  his  mes- 
sage to  Congress  in  1835,  suggested  the  propriety  of  a 
law  that  would  prohibit,  unde*  "evere  penalties,  the  cir- 
culation in  the  Southern  states  through  the  mails  of  pub- 
lications intended  to  incite  the  slaves  to  insurrection. 

Attempts  to  Stifle  Discussions. — The  legislatures  of 
the  different  states,  as  well  as  Congress,  were  next 
entreated  to  prohibit  discussions  of  the  slavery  ques- 
tion. These  efforts  were  generally  defeated  in  the 
Nor^h,  but  in  the  South  were  successful. 


ANTI-SLAVERY   AGITATION.  85 

Mob  Riots. — In  many  places  mob  violence  was  re- 
sorted to  in  breaking  up  meetings  called  for  the  discus- 
sion of  anti-slavery  questions.  Philadelphia  had  a  riot 
lasting  three  nights  and  the  harmless  and  powerless 
blacks  were  mainly  its  victims.  At  Concord,  N.  H. , 
the  mob  demolished  an  academy  because  colored  boys 
were  admitted  as  pupils.  At  Northfield,  N.  H.,  George 
Storrs  attempted  to  deliver  an  anti-slavery  lecture, 
but  was  dragged  from  his  knees  while  at  prayer.  On 
trial  he  was  acquitted,  but  soon  after  was  again  ar- 
rested and  sentenced  to  three  months'  imprisonment. 
He  appealed  and  that  ended  the  matter. 

At  Boston,  William  Lloyd  Garrison  was  dragged 
through  the  streets  with  a  rope  around  his  body,  but 
was  finally  rescued  by  the  mayor  who  protected  him 
from  further  violence.  In  the  same  city  a  women's 
anti-slavery  society  was  dispersed  by  a  mob  while  its 
president  was  at  prayer.  In  the  South  there  was  but 
one  mode  of  dealing  with  the  abolitionists.  "Let  your 
emissaries  cross  the  Potomac  and  I  promise  you  that 
your  fate  will  be  no  less  than  Hainan's,"  says  a  South- 
ern writer. 

Rifling  the  Mails. — Anti-slavery  literature  was  not 
permitted  to  be  sent  through  the  mails  in  the  South 
and  a  meeting  in  Charleston,  S.  C.,  unanimously 
resolved  that  all  mail  matter  of  this  kind  should  be 
burned.  The  mails  were  searched  and  rifled  for  the 
purpose.  Attempts  were  made  to  bring  offenders  to 
justice,  but  failure  met  them  in  every  case. 

Congress  Suppressing  Agitation. — Not  only  in  the 
state  legislatures,  but  in  Congress,  measures  were 
adopted  to  suppress  the  discussion  of  the  slavery  ques- 
tion. In  1837  Congress  adopted  by  a  vote  of  117  to  68 
the  following  resolution:  "That  all  petitions,  mem- 


86 


PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 


orials,  resolutions,  propositions,  or  papers  relating  in 
any  way  to  the  subject  of  slavery  or  the  abolition  of 
slavery  shall,  without  being  either  first  read  or  referred. 


HENRY  WILSON. 

An  anti-slavery  agitator  and  Vice-President  in  1872.      While  in 

Congress  in  1862  he  introduced  a  bill  for  the  employment 

of  Negroes  as  Soldiers. 

be  laid  on  the  table."  Amazing  as  it  may  seem,  this 
heroic  treatment  was  noi  successful  in  arresting  agi- 
tation and  restoring  tranquillity  to  the  public  mind, 


ANTI-SLAVERY   AGITATION.  87 

so  that  each  succeeding  Congress  was  necessitated  to 
do  the  work  over  again. 

John  Brown. — One  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
agitators  of  anti-slavery  was  John  Brown  of  national 
fame.  The  story  ;>f  this  man's  life  is  too  well  known 
to  be  repeated  here.  After  laboring  for  many  years 
and  succeeding  in  aiding  the  cause  of  anti-slavery  in 
many  ways,  he  attacked  Harper's  Ferry  in  1859  and, 
with  a  number  of  associates  was  made  a  prisoner. 
It  is  vain  to  under-rate  either  the  man  or  his  work. 
With  firmness  of  will  and  a  purpose  unconquerable,  he 
labored  for  the  cause  so  dear  to  him  and  to  which  he 
had  given  most  of  his  years.  After  the  fight  at  Har- 
per's Ferry  he  said:  "I  never  intended  plunder  or 
treason  or  the  destruction  of  property,  or  to  excite  the 
slaves  to  rebellion ;  I  labored  only  to  free  the  slaves. ' ' 
South  Carolina,  Missouri  and  Kentucky  each  sent  a 
rope  to  hang  him,  but  Kentucky's,  proving  the  strong- 
est, was  selected  and  used.  His  last  letter,  written 
before  his  death  to  Mrs.  George  L.  Stearns,  Boston, 
Mass.,  follows: 

"CHARLESTON,  JEFFERSON  Co.,  2gih  Nov.,  1859. 
"MRS.  GEORGE  L.  STEARNS,  Boston,  Mass. 

' '  My  Dear  Friend :  No  letter  I  have  received  since 
my  imprisonment  here  has  given  me  more  satisfaction 
or  comfort  than  yours  of  the  8th  inst.  I  am  quite 
cheerful  and  never  more  happy.  Have  only  time  to 
write  you  a  word.  May  God  forever  reward  you  and 
all  yours. 

"My  love  to  ALL  who  love  their  neighbors.  I  have 
asked  to  be  spared  from  having  any  mock  or  hypocrit- 
ical prayers  made  over  me  when  I  am  publicly  mur- 


88 


PROGRESS    OF  A   RACE. 


dered ;  and  that  my  only  religious  attendants  be  pool 
little,  dirty,  ragged,  bare-headed  and  bare-footed  slave 
boys  and  girls  led  by  some  old  gray-headed  slave 
mother.  Farewell.  Farewell, 

"Your  friend, 

,  "JOHN  BROWN." 

John  Brown  gave  slavery  its  death  wound  and  his 
immortal  name  will  be  pronounced .  with  blessings  in 
all  lands  and  bv  all  people  till  the  end  of  time. 


JOHN   BROWN.   THE   ABOLITIONIST. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE  FUGITIVE  SLAVE  LAWS. 
UNDERGROUND     RAILROAD     SYSTEM — SLAVE     POPULATION. 

Fugitive  Slave  Laws. — Very  severe  and  stringent 
laws  were  passed  to  prevent  anyone  from  aiding  the 
slaves  in  attempting  to  escape  to  the  North.  These  laws 
permitted  owners  to  follow  slaves  and  legally  claim 
them  in  other  states.  Any  one  suspected  of  showing 
even  an  act  of  kindness  tc  a  fugitive  slave  was  liable 
to  be  flogged,  fined  or  imprisoned.  The  greater  the 
agitation  of  the  question  the  more  severe  were  these 
laws. 

Calvin  Fairbanks. — Many  respected  citizens  were 
imprisoned  and  fined  for  aiding  slaves.  Calvin  Fair- 
banks spent  nearly  eighteen  years  in  a  Kentucky  peni- 
tentiary for  the  crime  of  aiding  poor  slaves  in  gaining 
freedom.  It  is  said  that  during  'this  time  he  received 
35,000  stripes  on  his  bare  body.  Early  in  life  he  had 
heard  of  the  sufferings  and  miseries  endured  by  slaves 
and  had  resolved  then  to  do  all  in  his  power  to  right 
the  wrongs  suffered  by  the  race.  He  was  one  of  the 
first  in  the  Underground  Railway  work  along  the  Ohio. 
A  number  of  times  he  was  arrested  in  the  act  of  giving 
assistance  to  slaves  and  committed  to  prison,  where  he 
suffered  untold  cruelties  from  the  hands  of  his  keeper. 
"I  was  flogged  sometimes  bowed  over  a  chair  or  some 
other  object,  often  receiving  seventy  lashes  four  times 
a  day,  and  at  one  time  received  107  blows  at  one  time, 
particles  of  flesh  being  thrown  upon  the  wall  several 
feet  away."  All  this  was  endured  by  a  white  man  in 
order  to  free  the  Negro. 

89 


J)O  KROGKESS   OP    A   RACE. 

Rev.  John  Rankin,  of  Ohio,  was  fined  $1,000,  besides 
serving1  a  term  in  prison. 

W.  L.  Chaplin  aided  two  young  slaves  of  Georgia  to 
escape.  Caught  in  the  act,  he  was  imprisoned  for  five 
months  and  released  on  a  bail  of  $25,000.  His  friends, 
knowing  that  he  would  be  convicted  and  sent  to  the 
penitentiary  for  a  number  of  years,  and  perhaps  for 
life,  resolved  to  pay  his  bail.  All  his  property  was 
sacrificed,  and  through  the  liberality  of  that  princely 
man,  Garrett  Smith,  the  sum  was  raised. 

Thomas  Garrett,  a  Quak  er  of  Delaware,  one  of  the 
most  successful  agents  of  the  Underground  Railway, 
assisted  nearly  3,000  slaves  to  escape  from  bondage ; 
he  was  at  last  convicted  and  fined  so  heavily  that  he 
lost  all  his  property  When  the  auctioneer  had  knocked 
off  his  last  piece  of  property  to  pay  the  fine  he  said : 
"I  hope  you  will  never  be  guilty  of  doing  the  like 
again."  Garrett,  although  penniless  at  the  age  of 
sixty,  replied:  "Friend,  I  have  not  a  dollar  in  the 
world,  but  if  thee  knows  a  fugitive  slave  who  needs  a 
breakfast  send  him  to  me."  It  is  with  pleasure  we 
learn  Mr.  Garrett  lived  to  see  the  day  when  the  slaves 
obtained  their  freedom. 

Levi  Coffin. — This  man  of  high  social  position,  a 
Quaker  of  Cincinnati,  was  frequently  called  the  presi- 
dent of  the  Underground  Railway.  He  succeeded  in 
aiding  about  25,000  slaves  in  gaining  their  freedom. 

Captain  Jonathan  Walker. — Mr. Walker  took  aeon- 
tract  to  build  a  railroad  in  Florida  and  for  this  purpose 
employed  a  number  of  Negroes.  By  kind  treatment  he 
gained  the  confidence  of  these  slaves  who  afterwards 
persuaded  him  to  aid  them  in  gaining  their  liberty. 
They  attempted  to  escape  in  a  boat  to  an  island  not  far 
away  Captain  Walker  was  taken  violently  sick,  and 


THE    FUGITIVE    SLAVE    LAWS.  91 

the  Negroes,  not  understanding  how  to  manage  the 
boat,  were  taken  up  by  another  vessel  and  taken  to  Key 
West.  Captain  Walker  was  tried  in  the  United  States 
Court  and  was  sentenced  to  be  branded  on  the  right 
hand  with  the  capital  letters  "S.  S. "  (slave  stealer), 
and  to  pay  as  many  fines  as  there  were  slaves ;  to  suffer 


THOMAS   GARRETT. 
Prom  "  Underground  Railroad,"  by  permission  of  Author. 

as  many  terms  imprisonment;  and  to  pay  the  costs 
and  stand  committed  until  the  fines  were  paid.  The 
initials  of  the  words  ' '  slave  stealer ' '  were  branded 
upon  his  hand  and  he  was  imprisoned,  but  his  friends 
succeeded  in  raising  money  to  pay  his  fines  and  he 
was  released  in  1845.  The  following  lines  by  Whittier 
gave  quite  another  meaning  to  the  brand  "S.  S.," 


92  PROGRESS   OF  A   RACE. 

making  it  a  badge  of  honor,  signifying  the  heroism 
and  self-sacrifice  in  spirit  of  these  forerunners  of 
liberty. 

"  Then  lift  that  manly  right  hand,  bold  plowman  of  the  wave, 
Its  branded  palm  shall  prophesy  Salvation  to  the  Slave ; 
Hold  up  its  fire-wrought  language,  that  whoso  reads  may  feel 
His  heart  swell  strong  within  him,  his  sinews  change  to  steel ; 
Hold  it  up  before  our  sunshine,  up  against  our  Northern  air. 
Ho!  men  of  Massachusetts,  for  the  love  of  God,  look  there! 
Take  it  henceforth  for  your  standard,  like  the  Bruce's  heart  of 

yore; 

In  the  dark  strife  closing  round  ye  let  that  hand    be  seen 
before." 

Underground  Railroad. — By  this  term  we  designate 
the  many  methods  and  systems  by  which  fugitive 
slaves  from  the  Southern  States  were  aided  in  es- 
caping to  the  North  or  Canada. 

After  slavery  was  abolished  in  the  North  slaves 
frequently  ran  away  from  their  masters  and  attempted 
to  reach  the  free  states  of  the  North,  or  better  still, 
Canada,  where  they  were  beyond  the  reach  of  their 
former  masters. 

These  so-called  railroads  were  most  useful  auxiliar- 
ies in  giving  aid  to  the  Negro.  Fugitive  slave  laws 
gave  masters  the  right  to  pursue  the  slaves  into  an- 
other state  and  bring  them  back.  The  men  interested 
in  these  railways  were  men  who  felt  they  should  fear 
God  rather  than  man,  that  the  fugitive  slave  laws 
were  unjust  and  that  they  should  not  be  obeyed. 
They  were  composed  of  a  chain  of  good  men  who 
stretched  themselves  across  the  land  from  the  borders 
of  the  slave  states  all  the  way  to  Canada.  Many  fu- 
gitive slaves  were  thus  permitted  to  escape.  They 
were  carried  by  night  to  a  place  of  safety  and  then 
turned  over  to  another  conductor  who  very  often 


THE    FUGITIVE   SLAVE    LAWS.  93 

would  load  up  and  convey  the  fugitives  in  a  covered 
wagon  to  the  next  station.  Thus  they  were  carried 
on  from  one  place  to  another.  As  soon  as  leaders 
rose  among  the  slaves  who  refused  to  endure  hard- 
ship, the  fugitive  then  came  north.  George  Williams 
says:  "Had  they  remained,  the  direful  scenes  of  St. 
Domingo  would  have  been  re-enacted,  and  the  hot 
vengeful  breath  of  massacre  would  have  swept  the 
South  as  a  tornado  and  blanched  the  cheek  of1  the 
civilized  world. ' ' 

Different  Branches. — It  would  be  very  difficult  to 
name  all  the  branches  of  the  ' '  Underground  Railroad. ' ' 
They  extended  all  the  way  from  New  Jersey  to  Illi- 
nois. Probably  those  on  which  the  greatest  number 
was  rescued  extended  through  Pennsylvania  and  Ohio. 
Many  local  branches  existed  in  different  parts  of  the 
country. 

William  Still. — One  of  the  most  active  workers  in 
freeing  slaves  was  William  Still.  He  was  chairman  and 
secretary  of  the  eastern  branch  of  the  road.  It  is  won- 
derful what  work  such  men  as  Mr.  Still  did  in  those 
days  when  opposition  was  so  great.  A  part  of  the 
work  that  he  has  done  is  recorded  in  ' '  Underground 
Railroad."  In  the  preface  of  this  work  Mr.  Still 
says :  "In  these  records  will  be  found  interesting  nar- 
ratives of  the  escapes  of  men,  women  and  children 
from  the  present  House  of  Bondage ;  from  cities  and 
plantations ;  from  rice  swamps  and  cotton  fields ;  from 
kitchens  and  mechanic  shops ;  from  border  states  and 
gulf  states;  from  cruel  masters  and  mild  masters; 
some  guided  by  the  north  star  alone,  penniless,  brav- 
ing the  perils  of  land  and  sea,  eluding  the  keen  scent 
of  the  bloodhound  as  well  as  the  more  dangerous  pur- 
suit of  the  savage  slave-hunter;  some  from  secluded 


-mm. 

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THE    FUGITIVE   SLAVE    LAWS.  95 

dens  and  caves  of  the  earth,  where  for  months  and 
years  they  had  been  hidden  away  awaiting  the  chance 
to  escape ;  from  mountains  and  swamps,  where  inde- 
scribable sufferings  and  other  privations  had  patiently 
been  endured.  Occasionally  fugitives  came  in  boxes 
and  chests,  and  not  infrequently  some  were  secreted 
in  steamers  and  vessels,  and  in  some  instances  jour- 
neyed hundreds  of  miles  in  skiffs.  Men  disguised  in 
female  attire  and  women  dressed  in  the  garb  of  men 
have  under  very  trying  circumstances  triumphed  in 
thus  making  their  way  to  freedom.  And  here  and 
there,  when  all  other  modes  of  escape  seemed  cut  off, 
some,  whose  fair  complexions  have  rendered  them 
indistinguishable  from  their  Anglo-Saxon  brethren, 
feeling  that  they  could  endure  the  yoke  no  longer, 
with  assumed  airs  of  importance,  such  as  they  had 
been  accustomed  to  see  their  masters  show  when  trav- 
eling, have  taken  the  usual  modes  of  conveyance  and 
have  even  braved  the  most  scrutinizing  inspection  of 
slave-holders,  slave-catchers,  and  car  conductors,  who 
were  ever  on  the  alert  to  catch  those  who  were  con- 
sidered base  and  white  enough  to  practice  such  decep- 
tion. ' '  Mr.  Still  says  that  the  passengers  on  the  Un- 
derground Railroad  were  generally  above  the  average 
order  of  slaves. 

Agents. — As  the  branches  of  the  railroad  were  nu- 
merous it  would  be  impossible  to  name  any  consider- 
able number  of  the  agents  of  the  road.  Some  of  these 
nobly  periled  their  all  for  the  freedom  of  the  op- 
pressed. Seth  Concklin  lost  his  life  while  endeavoring 
to  rescue  from  Alabama  slavery  the  wife  and  children 
of  Peter  Still.  Samuel  D.  Burris,  whose  faithful  and 
heroic  service  in  connection  with  the  underground 
railway  cost  him  imprisonment  and  inhuman  treat- 


PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 


ment,  at  last  lost  his  freedom  by  being  sold  from  the 
auction  block. 


WILLIAM   STILL. 


THE    FUGITIVE    SLAVE    LAWS.  97 

Indeed,  prudence  often  dictated  that  the  recipients  of 
favors  should  not  know  the  names  of  their  helpers  and 
vice  versa,  they  did  not  desire  to  know  others.  The 
slave  and  his  friends  could  only  meet  in  private  to 
transact  the  business  of  the  road.  All  others  were 
outsiders.  The  right  hand  was  not  to  know  what  the 
left  hand  was  doing".  The  safety  of  all  concerned 
called  for  still  tongues.  For  a  long  time  no  narratives 
were  written.  Probably  the  best  and  most  authentic 
of  these  thrilling  accounts  of  the  struggle  for  liberty 
are  found  in  ' '  Underground  Railroad. ' ' 

Methods  Pursued. — Different  methods  were  pursued 
to  aid  fugitive  slaves;  some  availed  themselves  of 
steamboats,  railroads,  stage  coaches,  but  more  fre- 
quently a  more  private  method  was  resorted  to,  so  as 
to  escape  detection.  A  number  of  cases  are  reported 
where  colored  men  were  boxed  up  and  shipped  by 
express  across  the  line. 

William  Jones,  from  Baltimore,  succeeded  in  having 
his  friends  box  him  up  and  ship  him  by  express  to 
Philadelphia ;  for  seventeen  hours  he  was  enclosed  in 
the  box,  but  friends  at  the  Philadelphia  underground 
station  succeeded  in  getting  the  box  safely,  and  after  a 
time  in  sending  the  slave  to  Canada. 

Mr.  Pratt,  in  his  sketches  of  the  underground  railway, 
gives  a  number  of  interesting  accounts  of  escapes, 
among  which  are  a  mother  and  daughter  who  escaped 
in  a  box  from  Washington  to  Warsaw,  New  York. 
With  the  aid  of  a  friend  they  secured  a  box,  put  in  it 
straw,  quilts,  plenty  of  provisions  and  water,  and  their 
friend  carried  the  box  in  a  spring  wagon  to  the  North. 
This  friend,  in  order  to  succeed  in  his  efforts,  passed 
himself  off  as  a  Yankee  clock  peddler,  and  as  he  drove 
a  wagon  and  good  team,  no  questions  were  asked. 

7 


PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 


When  out  of  sight  of  settlements  he  would  open  the 
box  and  give  the  inmates  an  opportunity  to  walk  in 
the  night  for  exercise.  The  master  heard  of  their 
whereabouts  and  sent  slave-hunters  to  recapture  them, 


A   BOLD   STROKE   FOR   FREEDOM. 
From  "Underground  Railroad,"  by  permission  of  Author." 

but  the  sentiment  against  slavery  was  so  strong  that 
they  were  not  permitted  to  take  them  back. 

Henry  Box  Brown. — The  marvelous  escape  of  Henry 
Box  Brown  was  published  widely  in  papers  when  the 
anti-slavery  agitation  was  being  carried  on.  In  point 
of  interest  his  case  is  no  more  remarkable  than  any 
other ;  indeed,  he  did  not  suffer  near  as  much  as  many. 
He  was  a  piece  of  property  in  the  city  of  Richmond. 
He  seemed  to  be  a  man  of  inventive  mind,  and  knew 
that  it  was  no  small  task  to  escape  the  vigilance  of 
Virginia  slave  hunters,  or  the  wrath  of  an  enraged 
master,  for  attempting  to  escape  to  a  land  of  liberty. 


THE    FUGITIVE   SLAVE    LAWS.  W 

The  ordinary  modes  of  travel,  he  concluded,  might 
prove  disastrous  to  his  hopes,  he  therefore  hit  upon  a 
new  invention,  which  was  to  have  himself  boxed  up 
and  forwarded  to  Philadelphia  by  express.  Size  of 
box  was  2  feet  wide,  2  feet  8  inches  deep  and  3  feet 
long.  His  food  consisted  of  a  few  small  biscuits.  He 
had  a  large  gimlet  which  he  intended  to  use  for  fresh 
air  if  necessary.  Satisfied  that  this  would  be  far  better 
than  to  remain  in  slavery,  he  entered  the  box.  It  was 


RESURRECTION  OF   HENRY   BOX   BROWN. 
Prom  "  Underground  Railroad,"  by  permission  of  Author. 

safely  nailed  up  and  hooped  with  five  hickory  hoops, 
and  addressed  by  his  friend,  James  A.  Smith,  a  shoe 
dealer,  to  Wm.  Johnson,  Arch  street,  Philadelphia, 
marked  "This  side  up,  with  care."  It  was  twenty-six 
hours  from  the  time  he  left  Richmond  until  he  arrived 
in  Philadelphia.  The  notice,  "This  side  up,"  did  not 
avail ,  for  the  box  was  often  roughly  handled.  For 
a  while  the  box  was  upside  down  and  he  was  on  his 
head  for  miles.  The  members  of  the  vigilance  com 


100  PROGRESS    OF   A   RACE. 

mittee  of  Philadelphia  had  been  informed  that  he 
would  be  started.  One  of  the  committee  went  to  the 
depot  at  half  past  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  to  look 
after  the  box,  but  did  not  find  it.  The  same  afternoon 
he  received  a  telegram  from  Richmond,  "Your  case  of 
goods  is  shipped  and  will  arrive  to-morrow  morning. " 

Mr.  McKim,  who  had  been  engineering  this  under- 
taking, found  it  necessary  to  change  the  program,  for 
it  would  not  be  safe  to  have  the  express  bring  it 
directly  to  the  anti-slavery  office.  He  went  to  a  friend 
who  was  extensively  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
who  was  ready  to  aid  him.  This  friend,  Mr.  Davis, 
knew  all  the  Adams  Express  drivers,  and  it  was  left  to 
him  to  pay  a  trusty  man  $5  in  gold  to  go  next  morn- 
ing and  bring  the  box  directly  to  the  anti-slavery  office. 

Those  present  to  behold  the  resurrection  were  J.  M. 
McKim,  Professor  C.  D.  Cleveland,  Lewis  Thompson, 
and  Wm.  Still.  The  box  was  taken  into  the  office. 
When  the  door  had  been  safely  locked,  Mr.  McKim 
rapped  quietly  on  the  lid  of  the  box  and  called  out  "All 
right."  Instantly  came  the  answer  from  within,  "All 
right,  sir. ' '  Saw  and  hatchet  soon  removed  the  five 
hickory  hoops  and  raised  the  lid  of  the  box.  Rising  up 
in  his  box,  Brown  reached  out  his  hand,  saying,  "How 
do  you  do,  gentlemen. "  He  was  about  as  wet  as  if  he 
had  come  up  out  of  the  Delaware.  He  first  sang  the 
psalm  beginning  with  these  words :  "I  waited  patiently 
for  the  Lord,  and  he  heard  my  prayer. ' '  At  the  home 
of  Lucretia  Mott  he  received  a  cordial  reception,  and 
was  entertained  for  some  time,  when  he  went  to  Boston. 

The  success  of  this  undertaking  encouraged  Smith, 
who  had  nailed  him  up  in  the  box,  to  render  similar 
service  to  two  other  young  bondmen.  But,  unfortun- 
ately, in  this  attempt  the  undertaking  proved  a  failure. 


THE    FUGITIVE    SLAVE    LAWS. 


101 


The  young  men,  after  being  duly  expressed  and  some 
distance  on  the  road,  were,  through  the  agency  of  the 
telegraph,  betrayed,  and  the  heroic  young  fugitives 
were  taken  from  the  box  and  dragged  back  to  helpless 
bondage.  Smith  was  arrested  and  imprisoned  for 
seven  years  in  a  Richmond  penitentiary.  He  lost  all 


CHARITY   STILL, 

Who  Twice  Escaped  from  Slavery. 

his  property,  was  refused  witnesses  on  his  trial,  and  for 
five  long  months,  in  hot  weather,  he  was  kept  heavily 
chained  in  a  cell  4x8  feet  in  dimensions.  Mr.  Smith 
had,  by  his  efforts,  aided  many  to  gain  their  liberty. 
He  received  five  stabs  aimed  at  his  heart  by  a  bribed 
assassin.  But  all  these  things  did  not  move  him  from 
his  purpose.  After  his  release  he  went  North  and  was 
united  in  marriage  at  Philadelphia  to  a  lady  who  had 
remained  faithful  to  him  through  all  his  sufferings. 
Amanda  Smith,  in  her  autobiography,  tells  how  her 


102  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

father  assisted  runaway  slaves.  ' '  Our  house, ' '  she  saysv 
"was  one  of  the  main  stations  of  the  underground 
railway.  My  father  took  the  Baltimore  Weekly  Sun 
newspaper,  that  always  had  advertisements  of  runaway 
slaves.  These  would  be  directed  by  their  friends  to 
our  house  and  we  would  assist  them  on  their  way  to 
liberty;  Excitement  ran  very  high,  and  we  had  to  be 
very  discreet  in  order  not  to  attract  suspicion.  My 
father  was  watched  closely,  as  he  was  suspected  of 
aiding  slaves.  After  working  all  day  in  the  harvest 
field  he  would  come  home  at  night,  sleep  about  two 
hours,  then  start  at  midnight  and  walk  fifteen  or 
twenty  miles  and  carry  a  poor  slave  to  a  place  of 
security,  sometimes  a  mother  and  child,  sometimes 
a  man  and  wife,  then  get  home  just  before  day.  Thus  he 
many  times  baffled  suspicion,  and  never  but  once  was 
there  a  poor  slave  taken  from  my  father's  hands,  and  if 
that  man  had  told  the  truth  he  would  have  been  saved. 
' '  One  week  the  papers  were  full  of  notices  of  a  slave 
who  had  run  away.  A  heavy  reward  was  offered,  a 
number  of  men  in  our  neighborhood  deterimned  to  get 
the  reward  if  possible.  They  suspected  our  home  as  a 
place  of  safety  for  the  poor  slave.  We  had  concealed 
the  poor  fellow  for  about  two  weeks,  as  there  was  no 
possible  chance  for  father  or  anyone  else  to  get  him 
away,  so  closely  were  we  watched.  One  day  four  men 
came  on  horseback.  As  father  saw  them  he  called  to 
mother  that  four  men  were  coming.  He  met  them 
and  they  demanded  of  him  to  know  whether  he  had  a 
nigger  there.  Father  said,  'If  I  tell  you  I  have  not 
you  won't  believe  me,  if  I  tell  you  I  have  it  will  not 
satisfy  you,  so  search  for  yourself. '  Mother  had  in  the 
meantime  concealed  him  between  the  cords  and  the 
straw  tick.  The  men  searched  the  house,  looked  under 


THE    FUGITIVE   SLAVE   LAWS.  103 

the  bed,  and  satisfied  themselves  that  he  was  not  there ; 
thus  we  succeeded  in  saving  him  from  slavery. ' ' 

William  and  Ellen  Craft  were  slaves  in  the  state  of 
Georgia.  The  desire  to  become  free  became  so  strong 
that  they  commenced  planning  to  escape.  Ellen,  being 
fair,  would  pass  for  a  white  man,  and  was  to  act  the  part 
of  master,  while  William  was  to  be  the  servant.  She 
dressed  in  a  fashionable  suit  of  male  attire,  and  was  to 
pass  as  a  young  planter.  But  Ellen  was  beardless. 
After  mature  reflection  her  face  was  muffled  up  as 
though  the  young  planter  was  suffering  from  a  face  or 
toothache.  In  order  to  prevent  the  method  of  register- 
ing at  hotels,  Ellen  put  her  right  arm  in  a  sling,  put  on 
green  spectacles,  and  pretended  to  be  very  hard  of 
hearing  and  dependent  upon  the  faithful  servant. 

Ellen,  disguised  as  a  young  planter,  was  to  have 
nothing  to  do  but  to  hold  herself  subject  to  her  ail- 
ments and  put  on  the  air  of  superiority.  <The  servant 
was  always  ready  to  explain  in  case  of  inquiry.  They 
stopped  at  first-class  hotels  in  Charleston,  Richmond 
and  Baltimore,  and  arrived  safely  in  Philadelphia, 
where  the  rheumatism  disappeared,  her  right  arm  was 
unslung,  her  toothache  was  gone,  the  beardless  face  was 
unmuffled,  the  deaf  heard  and  spoke,  the  blind  saw. 
The  strain  on  Ellen's  nerves,  however,  had  tried  her 
severely,  and  she  was  physically  prostrated  for  some 
time.  Her  husband,  William,  was  thoroughly  colored, 
and  was  a  man  of  marked  ability  and  good  manners, 
and  full  of  pluck.  They  were  sent  to  Boston,  where 
they  lived  happily  until  the  fugitive  slave  law  was 
passed.  Then  slave  hunters  from  Macon,  Georgia, 
were  soon  on  their  track,  but  the  sympathy  of  friends 
in  Boston  would  not  permit  their  being  returned  to 
Georgia.  It  was,  however,  considered  best  for  them 


104  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

to  seek  a  country  where  they  would  not  be  in  daily 
fear  of  slave  capturers,  backed  by  the  United  States 
Government.  They  were  therefore  sent  by  their 
friends  to  Great  Britain. 

In  England  the  Crafts  were  highly  respected.  After 
the  emancipation  they  returned  to  the  United  States 
with  two  children,  and,  after  visiting  Boston  and 
neighboring  places,  William  purchased  a  plantation 
near  Savannah,  and  is  living  there  with  his  family. 

Emancipators  Tried. — Those  who  aided  slaves  in 
their  struggle  for  liberty  were  often  tried  and  impris- 
oned. Many  of  them  lost  all  of  their  property  and 
suffered  much  from  the  hands  of  slave  dealers. 

Seth  Concklin's  noble  and  daring  spirit  induced  him 
to  put  forth  the  most  strenuous  efforts  to  redeem  a 
family  of  slaves.  He  learned  to  know  Peter  Still  and 
found  that  his  wife  and  children  were  still  in  Alabama 
in  bondage.  After  considering  the  hazardous  under- 
taking, he  decided  to  make  an  attempt  to  bring  the 
wife  and  children  of  Peter  Still  to  the  North.  He  went 
South,  laid  his  plans  well,  and  succeeded  in  carrying 
the  family  for  seven  days  and  seven  nights  in  his  skiff, 
then  traveled  hundreds  of  miles  on  foot.  They  at  last 
reached  Vincennes,  Indiana.  By  this  time  the  adver- 
tisements of  the  runaway  slaves  had  spread  all  over  the 
country,  and  at  Vincennes  they  were  arrested  and 
taken  South  to  their  former  owner. 

Imagine  the  state  of  mind  of  these  enslaved  ones, 
who,  after  having  endured  so  many  hardships  and  pain, 
so  near  to  freedom's  territory,  were  caught  and  returned 
to  slavery.  Seth  Concklin  was  brutally  murdered  on 
the  way  south. 

Thus  we  might  give  numerous  cases  where  slaves 
were  secreted  for  months  and  endured  the  greatest 


THE    FUGITIVE   SLAVE   LAWS.  105 

hardships  and  were  willing  rather  to  meet  death  than 
to  remain  in  slavery.  Several  girls  made  their  escape 
in  male  attire,  some  secreted  themselves  in  woods, 
traveling  at  night.  Others  succeeded  in  having  friends 
hide  them  in  steamers,  but  the  underground  railroad, 
with  all  its  stations  and  well-planned  schemes,  suc- 
ceeded often  in  defeating  the  plans  of  the  slave  hunt- 
ers. As  soon  as  a  slave  ran  away  papers  were  filled 
with  advertisements  and  rewards  were  offered  for  their 
return.  In  this  way  many  were  looking  for  slaves  so 
as  to  secure  the  rewards,  making  the  escape  of  some 
more  difficult.  One  cannot  read  such  books  as  "The 
Underground  Railroad,  by  Wm.  Still, ' '  or  the  story  of 
Peter  Still,  the  kidnapped  and  the  ransomed,  without 
sincere  thankfulness  that  slavery  is  ended,  and  that  a 
man  is  a  man  without  respect  to  the  color  of  his  skin. 

Slave  Population. — In  1800  the  slave  population  was 
over  900,000;  in  1830  it  had  reached  about  2,000,000; 
in  1840  it  was  estimated  to  be  about  2,500,000;  and  in 
1850  it  was  about  3,000,000.  In  1860  the  aggregate 
Negro  population  in  the  United  States  was  about 
4, 500,000,  of  which  about  4,000,000  were  slaves.  Nearly 
3,000,000  of  the  slaves  were  in  the  rural  districts  of  the 
South.  Southern  prosperity  depended  upon  the  prod- 
uct of  slave  labor,  which  amounted  to  about  $140,000,- 
ooo  per  year.  It  can  be  readily  seen  that  the  Civil 
War,  which  commenced  in  1861,  was  destined  to  shake 
the  very  foundation  of  Southern  civilization.  While 
both  North  and  South  attempted  to  keep  the  real 
cause  of  the  war  in  the  background  the  maxim,  "No 
question  is  settled  until  it  is  settled  right,"  asserted 
itself  here,  and  no  real  progress  was  made  in  the  war 
until  the  Northern  leaders  acknowledged  slavery  as  the 
issue,  and  met  the  question  direct  by  freeing  all  slaves. 


ABRAHAM    LINCOL.S, 


CHAPTER  VI. 

THE   NEGRO    IN    THE   CIVIL    WAR. 

The  pan  enacted  by  Negro  troops  in  the  War  of  the 
Rebellion  is  the  romance  of  North  American  history. 

Number  Enrolled. — The  records  of  the  war  depart- 
ment show  that  there  were  178,595  colored  men  regu- 
larly enlisted  as  soldiers  in  the  Union  army  during  the 
rebellion  who  by  their  good  conduct  established  a 
commendable  record  and  did  efficient  service  in  camp, 
fortress  and  field.  The  first  enlistment  of  Negroes  was 
by  Gen.  Hunter  in  the  Department  of  the  South  in 
June,  1862.  It  was  made  without  the  authority  of  the 
War  Department  and  was  due  to  an  emergency.  Gen. 
Hunter  needed  men. 

Ready  for  Enlistment. — At  the  sound  of  the  tocsin 
at  the  North  the  Negro  waiter,  barber,  cook,  groom, 
porter,  boot-black,  and  laborer,  stood  ready  at  the 
enlisting  office ;  although  the  recruiting  officer  refused 
to  take  his  name  he  waited  patiently  for  the  prejudice 
to  be  removed,  waited  two  long  years  before  the  door 
was  opened,  but  even  then  he  did  not  hesitate  but 
walked  in,  and  with  what  effect  the  world  knows. 

Opposition  to  Enlistment.— From  the  beginning 
there  was  great  opposition  to  enlisting  the  Negro  in 
the  army.  The  Northerners  even  went  so  far  as  to 
return  runaway  Negroes  to  their  owners,  while  the 
South  kept  the  Negro  on  the  plantation.  The  Confed- 
erates, however,  found  it  no  easy  task  to  watch  the 
Negro  and  the  Yankee  too ;  their  attention  could  be 
given  to  but  one  at  a  time;  as  a  slave  expressed  it. 

107 


108  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

"When  Marsa  watch  the  Yankee,  nigger  go — when 
Marsa  watch  the  nigger,  Yankee  come. ' ' 

Objections. — The  "New  York  Times,"  of  February 
16,1863, in  an  editorial  summed  up  the  objections  to  en- 
listing the  Negroes  as  follows :  ' '  First,  that  the  Negroes 
will  not  fight.  Second,  it  is  said  that  the  whites  will 
not  fight  with  them.  Third,  that  the  prejudice  against 
them  is  so  strong  that  our  citizens  will  not  enlist  or 
will  quit  the  service  if  compelled  to  fight  by  their  side, 
and  thus  we  shall  lose  two  white  soldiers  for  one  black 
one  that  we  gain.  Fourth,  it  is  said  that  we  shall  get 
no  Negroes — or  not  enough  to  be  of  any  service. 
In  the  free  states  very  few  will  volunteer,  and  in  the 
slave  states  we  can  get  but  few  because  the  rebels  will 
push  them  southward  as  fast  as  we  advance  upon  them. 
Fifth,  the  use  of  the  Negroes  will  exasperate  the  South. 
We  presume  it  will — but  so  will  any  other  scheme  we 
may  adopt  which  is  warlike  and  effective  in  its  charac- 
ter and  results.  We  are  not  ready  with  Mr.  Vallandin- 
ham,  to  advocate  immediate  and  unconditional  peace ! 
The  best  thing  we  can  do  is  to  possess  ourselves  in 
patience  while  the  experiment  is  being  tried. ' ' 

The  President  and  Secretary  of  War  and  a  large 
majority  of  the  generals  in  the  army  acted  on  the 
theory,  "This  is  a  white  man's  war,  and  the  Negro  has 
no  lot  or  part  in  it. ' ' 

They  seemed  to  be  ignorant  of  the  fact  that  slavery 
was  the  real  cause  of  the  war,  and  hence  held  to  the 
principal  that  all  runaway  slaves  must  be  returned  to 
their  owners  by  the  Union  army. 

General  Hunter. — To  General  David  Hunter,  com- 
manding the  army  in  the  South,  is  given  the  honor  of 
organizing  the  first  southern  colored  regimert  He 
could  not  get  white  recruits  and  was  surrounded  by  a, 


THE    NEGRO    IN   THE    CIVIL   WAR.  109 

multitude  of  able-bodied  Negroes  who  were  idle,  but 
anxious  to  serve  as  soldiers.  In  advance  of  public 
opinion  he  organized  a  regiment  and  was  called  to 
account  for  it  by  the  Secretary  of  War.  He  replied 
that  he  had  instructions  to  employ  all  loyal  persons  in 
defense  of  the  Union  and  the  suppression  of  the 
rebellion,  and  hence  was  not  limited  as  to  color.  He 
informed  the  secretary  that  loyal  slaves  everywhere 
remained  on  their  plantations  to  welcome  them,  aid 
them,  supply  the  army  with  food  and  information,  and 
since  they  were  the  only  men  who  were  loyal,  he  had 
organized  them  into  a  regiment  and  appointed  officers 
to  drill  them.  He  closed  with  these  words:  "The 
experiment  of  arming  the  blacks,  so  far  as  I  have 
made,  has  been  a  complete  and  even  marvelous  suc- 
cess. They  are  sober,  docile,  attentive  and  enthusias- 
tic; displaying  great  natural  capacities  for  acquiring 
the  duties  of  the  soldier.  They  are  eager,  beyond  all 
things,  to  take  the  field  and  be  led  into  action ;  and  it 
is  the  unanimous  opinion  of  the  officers  who  have 
charge  of  them  that  in  the  peculiarities  of  this  climate 
and  country  they  will  prove  invaluable  auxiliaries." 

Mr.  Wyckliff  created  a  scene  in  the  house  by  de- 
nctincing  General  Hunter  and  declaring  that  the  enlist- 
ments of  Negroes  was  an  insult  to  every  white  soldier 
in  the  army.  Nevertheless  Congress  authorized  the  Pres- 
ident to  enlist  "persons  of  African  descent,"  but  pro- 
vided that  they  should  be  used  as  laborers  in  the  camps 
and  forts,  and  were  not  to  be  allowed  to  bear  arms. 

After  a  Year. — Towards  the  close  of  1862  the  war 
clouds  were  still  growing  thicker.  The  Union  army 
had  won  few  victories ;  the  Northern  troops  had  to  fight 
in  a  tropical  climate,  the  forces  of  nature  and  an  arro- 
gant, jubilant  and  victorious  enemy,  but  in  the  face  of 


110  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

all  these  discouraging  features  the  President  still  held 
to  his  views  of  managing  the  war  without  bringing  the 
subject  of  slavery  to  the  front.  In  reply  to  a  deputa- 
tion of  gentlemen  from  Chicago,  who  urged  a  more 
vigorous  policy  of  emancipation,  the  President  denied 
the  request  and  stated:  "The  subject  is  difficult  and 
good  men  do  not  agree.  For  instance :  The  other  day, 
four  gentlemen  of  standing  and  intelligence  from  New 
York  called  as  a  delgation  on  business  connected  with 
the  war;  but  before  leaving  two  of  them  earnestly  be- 
sought me  to  proclaim  general  emancipation,  upon 
^vhich  the  other  two  at  once  attacked  them.  You  know 
also  that  the  last  session  of  Congress  had  a  decided  ma- 
jority of  anti-slavery  men,  yet  they  could  not  unite  upon 
this  policy.  And  the  same  is  true  of  the  religious  people. 
Why,  the  rebel  soliders  are  praying  with  a  great  deal 
more  earnestness,  I  fear,  than  our  own  troops,  and 
expecting  God  to  favor  their  side;  for  one  of  our 
soldiers,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  told  Senator 
Wilson  a  few  days  since  that  he  met  nothing  so  discour- 
aging as  the  evident  sincerity  of  the  prayers  of  those 
he  was  among." 

He  admitted  that  slavery  was  at  the  root  of  the 
rebellion,  but  was  not  willing  to  act,  but  just  nine  days 
from  that  time  when  he  thought  a  proclamation  not 
warranted  and  impracticable,  he  issued  his  first  Emanci- 
pation Proclamation. 

Public  Opinion  Changes. — When  the  Union  mep 
began  to  see  the  worth  of  the  Negro  to  the  Confederate 
army  in  throwing  up  breastworks  that  were  often 
almost  impregnable,  they  began  to  complain  that  the 
Negro  with  his  pick  and  spade  was  a  greater  hindrance 
•to  their  progress  than  the  cannon  ball  of  the  enemy ; 
slowly  but  surely  public  opinion  changed.  Congres? 


112  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

prohibited  the  surrender  of  the  Negroes  to  the  rebels, 
the  President  issued  his  Emancipation  Proclamation 
and  the  Negroes  were  rapidly  enlisted. 

In  the  Union  Ranks. — Charles  Sumner  says:  "Those 
who  have  declaimed  loudest  against  the  employment  of 
Negro  troops  have  shown  a  lamentable  amount  of 
ignorance,  and  an  equally  lamentable  lack  of  common 
sense..  They  know  as  little  of  the  military  history  and 
martial  qualities  of  the  African  race  as  they  do  of  their 
own  duties  as  commanders.  All  distinguished  generals 
of  modern  times  who  have  had  opportunity  to  use 
Negro  soldiers  have  uniformly  applauded  their  subor- 
dination, bravery,  and  power  of  endurance.  Washing- 
ton solicited  the  military  services  of  Negroes  in  the 
Revolution,  and  rewarded  them.  Jackson  did  the  same 
in  the  War  of  1812.  Under  both  these  great  captains 
the  Negro  troops  fought  so  well  that  they  received 
unstinted  praise. ' ' 

Confederate  Measures. — The  enlistment  of  Negroes 
in  the  Northern  army  changed  the  policy  of  the  South, 
and  public  opinion,  now  so  strongly  endorsed  in  the 
North,  affected  the  rebels,  who  soon  passed  a  measure 
for  arming  200,000  Negroes  themselves. 

In  the  Navy. — In  the  navy  a  different  course  was 
pursued  from  the  first.  Negroes  were  readily  accepted 
all  along  the  coasts  on  board  the  war  vessels,  this  being 
no  departure  from  the  regular  and  established  practice 
in  the  service. 

Official  Authority. — General  Rufus  Saxon  was  the 
first  officer  to  receive  official  authority  to  enlist  Negroes 
as  soldiers.  On  the  26th  of  August,  1862,  the  Secre- 
tary of  War  ordered  him  to  proceed  to  the  Department 
of  the  South  and  organize  5,000  troops  of  "African 
descent, ' '  which  were  to  be  designated  for  service  in 


THE    NEGRO    IN    THE    CIVIL   WAR.  113 

garrisons  not  in  danger  of  attack  by  the  enemy,  to 
relieve  white  regiments  whose  terms  of  enlistment  had 
expired.  But  one  of  General  Saxon's  first  acts  after 
recruiting  a  regiment  was  to  send  it  on  a  foraging 
expedition  into  the  enemy's  country.  The  result  was 
entirely  satisfactory.  The  colored  men  proved  to  be 
remarkably  good  foragers,  and  brought  in  more  sup- 
plies than  three  times  the  number  of  white  men  could 
have  secured. 

Recruiting  Offices. — Recruiting  stations  were  estab- 
lished throughout  the  South,  and  officers  were  sent  out 
to  enlist  slaves.  In  these  journeys  through  the  country 
officers  often  met  with  strange  experiences.  Recruits 
were  taken  wherever  found,  and  as  their  earthly  pos- 
sessions usually  consisted  of  but  what  they  wore  upon 
their  backs,  they  required  no  time  to  settle  their 
affairs.  The  laborer  in  the  field  would  lay  down  his 
hoe,  or  leave  his  plow,  and  march  away  with  the 
guard.  On  one  occasion  a  large  plantation  was  visited 
and  the  proprietor  asked  to  call  in  his  slaves ;  he  com- 
plied, and  when  they  were  asked  if  they  wished  to 
enlist  replied  that  they  did,  and  fell  into  the  ranks 
with  the  guard.  As  they  started  away  the  old  man 
turned  and,  with  tears  in  his  eyes,  said:  "Will  you 
take  them  all?  Here  I  am  an  old  man;  I  cannot  work; 
my  crops  are  ungathered,  my  Negroes  have  all  enlisted 
or  run  away,  and  what  am  I  to  do?"  Several  recruit- 
ing officers  were  tarred  and  feathered  and  others  were 
shot.  Several  officers  were  dismissed  from  the  army 
for  refusing  to  command  Negro  troops ;  others  resigned 
in  preference  to  doing  so. 

Indignation. — Although  the  Confederates  anticipated 
the  Federal  government  in  the  employment  of  Negroes 
as  military  forces,  they  exhibited  a  good  deal  of  indig- 


114  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

nation  when  their  example  was  followed,  and  the 
Records  of  the  Confederate  Congress  show  some  sensa- 
tional measures  of  retaliation  threatened  against  the 
government  of  the  United  States  on  this  account. 
It  was  proposed,  among  other  things,  to  raise  the  black 
flag  against  Negro  soldiers  and  white  officers  who  com- 
manded them,  and  in  some  cases  this  retaliation  was 
enforced,  as  at  Port  Pillow,  but  finally  the  Confederate 
Congress  formally  recognized  the  usefulness  of  the 
Negro  as  a  soldier  as  well  as  a  laborer,  and  authorized 
President  Davis  to  enlist  an  unlimited  number  of  col- 
ored troops. 

Governor  Yates. — This  fact  was  commented  upon  by 
Governor  Yates,  of  Illinois,  in  a  message  he  sent  to  the 
legislature  of  that  state,  as  a  most  extraordinary  phe- 
nomenon in  history.  He  said  the  leaders  of  the  insur- 
rection had  called  upon  the  cause  of  the  insurrection 
to  save  it,  and  had  recognized  the  intelligence  and 
manhood  of  the  despised  race  by  lifting  it  to  a  level 
with  themselves.  A  wise  providence,  he  said,  was 
directing  the  destiny  of  the  Confederates,  so  that  they 
will  terminate  the  very  evil  they  are  fighting  to  main- 
tain. Slavery  was  to  be  the  corner  stone  of  their  new 
Confederacy,  but,  says  Governor  Yates,  a  man  who  has 
been  a  soldier  will  never  be  a  slave. 

Discrimination. — In  the  matter  of  pay  there  was  for 
a  long  time  discrimination  against  the  Negro  troops. 
While  the  troops  of  the  regular  army  were  paid  $13.00 
per  month,  the  Negroes  received  but  $10.00,  three  of 
which  was  deducted  on  account  of  clothing.  Some 
regiments  refused  to  receive  $10.00  per  month  and 
others  were  paid  in  full.  The  injustice  done  the  Negro 
soldier  in  this  discrimination  was  often  a  violation 
of  a  solemn  and  written  pledge  of  the  govern- 


ON   PICKET  DUTY. 


115 


116  PROGRESS   OF  A   RACE. 

ment  that  declared  that  they  should  receive  the  same 
pay  and  allowances  as  the  white  men.  In  definite 
terms,  Congress  and  the  War  Department  was  de- 
nounced as  the  enemy  of  the  Negro  in  this  discrimina- 
tion. All  honor  to  the  Fifty-fourth  colored  regiment 
of  Massachusetts  that  refused  to  receive  the  $7.00  per 
month  until  the  authorities  were  driven  to  give  equal 
pay  to  Negroes  and  whites. 

General  Butler. — Nearly  all  the  generals  of  the  army 
opposed  the  enlistment  of  the  Negro.  General  Phelps, 
stationed  at  Louisiana,  made  a  bold  fight  for  the 
Negro,  and  attempted  to  enlist  them  in  and  around 
New  Orleans,  but  being  so  strongly  opposed  by  General 
Butler,  he  was  forced  to  resign  and  return  to  his  home. 

The  sentiment  of  the  North  seemed  to  admit  the 
right  of  the  South  to  hold  slaves.  That  General  Butler 
afterwards  entirely  changed  his  opinion  is  seen  by  his 
speech  on  the  floor  of  Congress,  when  he  said:  "It 
became  my  painful  duty,  sir,  to  follow  in  the  track  of 
the  charging  column,  and  there,  in  a  space  not  wider 
than  the  clerk's  desk,  and  three  hundred  yards  long, 
lay  the  dead  bodies  of  three  hundred  and  fifty-three  of 
my  colored  comrades,  slain  in  the  defense  of  their 
country,  who  laid  down  their  lives  to  uphold  its  flag 
and  its  honor  as  a  willing  sacrifice ;  and  as  I  rode  along 
among  them,  guiding  my  horse  this  way  and  that  way 
lest  he  should  profane  with  his  hoofs  what  seemed  to 
me  the  sacred  dead,  and  as  I  looked  on  their  bronzed 
faces  upturned  in  the  shining  sun  as  if  in  mute  appeal 
against  the  wrongs  of  the  country  for  which  they  had 
given  their  lives,  and  whose  flag  had  only  been  to  them 
a  flag  of  stripes  on  which  no  star  of  glory  had  ever  shone 
for  them — feeling  I  had  wronged  them  in  the  past,  and 
believing  what  was  the  future  of  my  country  to  them 


THE   NEGRO   IN   THE   CIVIL  WAR.  117 

— among  my  dead  comrades  there  I  swore  myself  a 
solemn  oath :  '  May  my  right  hand  forget  its  cunning, 
and  my  tongue  cleave  to  the  roof  of  my  mouth,  if  I 
ever  fail  to  defend  the  rights  of  those  men  who  have 
given  their  blood  for  me  and  my  country  this  day,  and 
for  their  race  forever;'  and, 'God  helping  me,  I  will 
keep  this  oath. ' ' 

President  Lincoln,  when  urged  by  Dr.  Patton,  of 
Chicago,  to  press  the  Negro  into  service  said:  "If 
we  were  to  arm  them,  I  fear  that  within  a  few  weeks, 
the  arms  would  be  in  the  hands  of  the  rebels. ' ' 

In  Congress. — In  Congress  a  bill  was  passed  to  raise 
and  equip  150,000  soldiers  of  African  descent.  Colonel 
T.  Higginson  now  watched  the  acts  of  Congress  and 
ascended  the  St.  John's  river  in  Florida  and  captured 
Jacksonville,  which  had  been  abandoned  by  white 
Union  troops. 

The  New  York  Tribune  said:  "Drunkenness,  the 
bane  of  our  army,  does  not  exist  among  our  black 
troops."  "Nor  have  I  yet  discovered  the  slightest 
ground  of  inferiority  to  white  troops. ' ' 

Prejudice  Broken  Down. — The  bravery  and  excel- 
lence of  the  Negro  in  the  battlefield  soon  broke  down 
prejudices  against  the  Negro  on  the  part  of  the  white 
officers,  and  it  was  not  long  before  100,000  Negroes 
were  found  in  the  Union  ranks. 

Colonel  Shaw. — Colonel  Shaw  commanded  the  first 
colored  regiment  organized  in  the  free  states,  the 
Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts,  and  it  was  this  regiment 
that  played  such  an  important  part  in  the  attempt  to 
take  Fort  Wagfier.  After  making  a  forced  effort  and 
march  for  a  day  and  a  night,  through  swamps  and 
drenching  rains,  without  food  or  rest,  hungry  and 
fatigued  they  reached  General  Strong's  headquarters  on 


118  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

that  memorable  morning,  just  as  they  were  forming 
into  line  of  battle.  Colonel  Shaw  made  a  thrilling 
patriotic  speech  to  his  men,  and,  after  a  most  desperate 
and  gallant  fight,  succeeded  in  planting  the  regimental 
flag  on  the  works.  The  Negro  color  bearer,  John  Wall, 
was  killed.  But.  Wm.  H.  Carney  seized  it,  and,  after 
receiving  several  wounds,  one  of  which  mangled  his 
arm,  brought  the  flag  to  the  standard  with  his  own 
blood  on  it  and  shouted,  "Boys,  the  old  flag  never 
touched  the  ground. ' ' 

Fort  Wagner. — M.  S.  Littlefield,  in  writing  of  Fort 
Wagner  says:  "Sergeant  W.  H.  Carney,  Company  C. 
writes  he  was  with  the  first  battalion,  which  was  ir. 
the  advance  of  the  storming  column.  He  received  the 
regimental  colors,  pressed  forward  to  the  front  rank, 
near  the  colonel,  who  was  leading  the  men  over  the 
ditch.  He  says,  as  they  ascended  the  wall  of  the  fort, 
the  ranks  were  full,  but  as  soon  as  they  reached  the  top 
'they  melted  away"  before  the  enemy's  fire  'almost 
instantly. '  He  received  a  severe  wound  in  the  thigh, 
but  fell  upon  his  knees.  He  planted  the  flag  upon  the 
parapet,  lay  down  on  the  outer  slope,  that  he  might 
get  as  much  shelter  as  possible ;  there  he  remained  for 
over  an  hour,  till  the  second  brigade  came  up.  He 
kept  the  colors  flying  until  the  second  conflict  was 
ended.  When  our  forces  retired  he  followed,  creeping 
upon  one  knee,  still  holding  up  the  flag.  It  was  thus 
that  Sergeant  Carney  came  from  the  field,  having  held 
the  emblem  of  liberty  over  the  walls  of  Fort  Wagner 
during  the  sanguinary  conflict  of  the  two  brigades,  and 
having  received  two  very  severe  wounds,  one  in  the 
thigh  and  one  in  the  head.  Still  he  refused  to  give  up 
his  sacred  trust  until  he  found  an  officer  of  his  regi- 
ment 


SERGEANT  WM.  H.  CARNEY. 
119 


120  PROGRESS   OF  A    RACE. 

"When  he  entered  the  field  hospital,  where  his 
wounded  comrades  were  being  brought  in,  they  cheered 
him  and  the  colors.  Though  nearly  exhausted  with 
the  loss  of  blood,  he  said:  'Boys,  the  old  flag  never 
touched  the  ground. '  Of  him  as  a  man  and  soldier  I 
can  speak  in  the  highest  terms  of  praise. ' ' 

Milliken  Bend. — "Tauntingly  it  has  been  said  that 
Negroes  won't  fight.  Who  say  it,  and  who  but  a 
dastard  and  brute  will  dare  to  say  it,  when  the  battle 
of  Milliken 's  Bend  finds  its  place  among  the  heroic 
deeds  of  this  war?  This  battle  has  significance.  It 
demonstrated  the  fact  that  the  freed  slaves  will  fight. ' ' 

General  Grant  says  of  Milliken  Bend:  "This  was 
the  first  important  engagement  of  the  war  in  which 
colored  troops  were  under  fire.  These  men  were  very 
raw,  perhaps  all  had  been  enlisted  since  the  beginning 
of  the  siege,  but  they  behaved  well. ' ' 

First  Colored  Regiment. — The  first  colored  regiment 
raised  in  New  Orleans  under  General  Butler,  after 
remaining  in  camp  for  about  six  months,  were  quite 
efficient  in  the  use  of  arms.  It  was  then  ordered  to 
report  to  General  Dwight.  Its  commanding  officer, 
Colonel  Stafford,  was  disabled,  and  was  not  permitted 
to  go  with  the  regiment.  Before  the  regiment  left  the 
officers  assembled  at  the  quarters  of  Colonel  Stafford. 
The  colored  guared  marched  up  to  receive  the  regi- 
mental flags.  Colonel  Stafford  made  a  speech  full  of 
patriotism  and  feeling,  and  concluded  by  saying: 
"Colored  guard,  protect,  defend,  die  for  it,  but  do  not 
surrender  these  flags."  The  reply  of  the  sergeant 
was,  "Colonel,  I  will  bring  back  these  colors  to  you  in 
honor,  or  report  to  God  the  reason  why." 

Port  Hudson. — At  Port  Hudson,  "the  deeds  of  hero- 
ism performed  by  these  colored  men  were  such  as  the 


THE   NEGRO   IN  THE   CIVIL   WAR.  121 

proudest  white  men  might  emulate.  Their  colors  were 
torn  to  pieces  by  shot,  and  literally  bespattered  by 
blood  and  brains.  The  color- sergeant  of  the  First 
Louisiana,  on  being  mortally  wounded,  hugged  the 
colors  to  his  breast,  when  a  struggle  ensued  between 
the  two  color-corporals  on  each, side  of  him  as  to  who 
should  have  the  honor  of  bearing  the  sacred  standard, 
and  during  this  generous  contention  one  was  seriously 
wounded.  One  black  lieutenant  actually  mounted  the 
enemy's  works  three  or  four  times,  and  in  one  charge 
the  assaulting  party  came  within  fifty  paces  of  them. 
Indeed,  if  only  ordinarily  supported  by  artillery  and 
reserve,  no  one  can  convince  us  that  they  would  not 
have  opened  a  passage  through  the  enemy's  works. 

"Captain  Callioux,  of  the  First  Louisiana,  a  man  so 
black  that  he  actually  prided  himself  on  his  blackness, 
died  the  death  of  a  hero,  leading  on  his  men  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fight.  One  poor  wounded  fellow  came 
along  with  his  arm  shattered  by  a  shell,  and  jauntily 
swinging  it  with  the  other,  as  he  said  to  a  friend  of 
mine :  '  Massa,  guess  I  can  fight  no  more. '  I  was  with 
one  of  the  captains,  looking  after  the  wounded  going  to 
the  rear  of  the  hospital,  when  we  met  one  limping 
towards  the  front.  On  being  asked  where  he  was 
going,  he  said:  'I  have  been  shot  bad  in  the  leg,  cap- 
tain, and  dey  want  me  to  go  to  the  hospital,  but  I  guess 
I  can  gib  'em  some  more  yet. '  I  could  go  on  filling 
your  columns  with  startling  facts  of  this  kind,  but  I 
hope  I  have  told  enough  to  prove  that  we  can  hereafter 
rely  upon  black  arms  as  well  as  white  in  crushing  this 
infernal  rebellion.  I  long  ago  told  you  there  was  an 
army  of  250,000  men  ready  to  leap  forward  in  defense 
of  freedom  at  the  first  call.  You  know  where  to  find 
them  and  what  they  are  worth. ' ' 


122  PROGRESS    OF   A   RACE. 

"Although  repulsed  in  an  attempt  which,  situated  as 
things  were,  was  all  but  impossible,  these  regiments, 
though  badly  cut  up,  are  still  on  hand,  and  burning  with 
a  passion  ten  times  hotter  from  their  fierce  baptism  of 
blood.  Who  knows  but  that  it  is  a  black  hand  which 
shall  first  plant  the  standard  of  the  republic  upon  the 
doomed  ramparts  of  Port  Hudson. " 

In  the  Mississippi  Valley. — In  many  engagements  of 
the  Mississippi  valley  the  colored 'soldiers  won  for  them- 
selves lasting  glory  and  golden  opinions  from  the 
officers  and  men  of  white  organizations. 

The  Battle  of  Wilson's  Wharf.— The  following  ac- 
count is  given  :  "At  first  the  fight  raged  fiercely  on  the 
left.  The  woods  were  riddled  with  bullets ;  the  dead 
and  wounded  of  the  rebels  were  taken  away  from  this 
part  of  the  field,  but  I  am  informed  by  one  accustomed 
to  judge,  and  who  went  over  the  fields  today,  that  from 
the  pools  of  blood  and  other  evidences,  the  loss  must 
have  been  severe.  Finding  that  the  left  could  not  be 
broken,  Fitz-Hugh  Lee  hurled  his  cavalry — dismounted 
of  course — upon  the  right.  Steadily  they  came  on, 
through  obstruction,  through  slashing,  past  abattis 
without  wavering.  Here  one  of  the  advantages  of  the 
colored  troops  was  made  apparent.  They  obeyed 
orders,  and  bided  their  time.  When  well  tangled  in 
the  abattis  the  death  warrant,  "Fire,"  went  forth. 
Southern  chivalry  quailed  before  Northern  balls,  though 
fired  by  Negro  hands.  Volley  after  volley  was  rained 
upon  the  superior  by  the  inferior  race,  and  the  chivalry 
broke  and  tried  to  run. ' ' 

Petersburg. — This  was  a  stronghold  of  the  Confed- 
eracy. To  dislodge  them  tons  of  powder  were  buried 
near  their  lines.  It  was  to  be  exploded  and  in  the  con- 
sequent confusion  in  the  Confederate  ranks  a  charge 


124  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

was  to  be  made  and  capture  their  forces.  Four  thou- 
sand four  hundred  Negro  braves  were  on  hand  to  do 
this  work.  The  refusal  to  allow  them  to  do  so,  many 
believe,  lost  the  day  to  the  Union  army.  Ah !  but  the 
black  braves  that  day  proved  that  they  were  willing-  to 
fight,  bleed  and  die  for  their  kindred  in  chains  so 
cruelly  forged.  Black  men  fell  on  the  very  parapet  of 
the  enemy's  works,  in  a  hand-to-hand  fight  with  their 
white  antagonists.  The  soil  was  saturated  in  the 
blood  of  the  colored  valiants.  When  Petersburg  did 
fall  into  Federal  hands,  and  Richmond  followed  later, 
Negro  soldiers  were  among  the  first  to  enter  the  field 
and  claim  these  cities  in  the  name  of  the  Federal  gov- 
ernment. Close  on  the  fall  of  these  Confederate  cities 
Lee  surrendered  at  Appomatox  under  the  shade  of  the 
old  apple  tree.  Thus  ended  the  war,  leaving  our  brave 
black  heroes  covered  with  glory  crowned  with  imper- 
ishable laurels.  When,  therefore,  the  last  drum  shall 
beat,  the  last  bugle  note  shall  sound,  and  the  roll  call 
of  nations  shall  be  heard,  and  the  names  of  Phillips, 
Leonidas,  Alexander,  Hannibal,  Caesar,  Napoleon  and 
Wellington  are  sounded  on  the  lips  of  the  worshipers 
of  heroes,  with  equal  praise  shall  be  heard  the  name 
of  Attucks,  Peter  Salem,  Captain  Cailloux,  Colonel 
Shaw  the  talented,  and  Toussaint  L 'Overture.  A  race 
with  such  indomitable  courage,  under  such  discourage- 
ments, must  have  under  God  a  future  inspiring  and 
glorious. 

General  Smith  on  Petersburg. — "The  hardest  fight- 
ing was  done  by  the  black  troops.  The  forts  they 
stormed  were  the  worst  of  all.  After  the  affair  was  over 
General  Smith  went  to  thank  them,  and  tell  them  he  was 
proud  of  their  courage  and  dash.  He  said :  '  They  can- 
not be  exceeded  as  soldiers,  and  that  hereafter  he 


THE    NEGRO    IN   THE    CIVIL   WAR.  125 

will  enter  them  in  a  difficult  place  as  readily  as  the 
best.'  " 

"The  charge  on  the  advanced  works  was  made  in 
splendid  style,  and  as  the  'dusky  warriors'  stood  shout- 
ing upon  the  parapet,  General  Smith  decided  that 
'they  would  do,'  and  sent  word  to  storm  the  first 
redoubt.  Steadily  these  troops  moved  on,  led  by 
officers  whose  unostentatious  bravery  is  worthy  of 
emulation.  With  a  shout  and  rousing  cheers  they 
dashed  at  the  redoubt.  Grape  and  canister  were 
hurled  at  them  by  the  infuriated  rebels.  They  grinned 
and  pushed  on,  and  with  a  yell  that  told  the  Southern 
chivalry  their  doom,  rolled  irresistibly  over  into  the 
work.  The  guns  were  speedily  turned  upon  those  of 
our  'misguided  brethren,'  who  forgot  that  discretion 
was  the  better  part  of  valor.  Another  redoubt  was 
carried  in  the  same  splendid  style,  and  the  Negroes 
have  established  a  reputation  that  they  will  surely 
maintain. 

"Officers  on  General  Hancock's  staff,  as  they  rode  by 
the  redoubt  surrounded  by  a  moat  with  water  in  it, 
over  which  these  Negroes  charged,  admitted  that  its 
capture  was  a  most  gallant  affair.  The  Negroes  bear 
their  wounds  quite  as  pluckily  as  the  white  soldiers. ' ' 

Adjutant  General  L.  Thomas  pays  the  following 
tribute  to  the  Negro  soldiers:  "On  several  occasions 
when  on  the  Mississippi  river,  I  contemplated  writing 
to  you  respecting  the  colored  troops,  and  to  suggest 
that,  as  they  have  been  fully  tested  as  soldiers,  their 
pay  should  be  raised  to  that  of  white  troops,  and  I 
desire  now  to  give  my  testimony  in  their  behalf.  You 
are  aware  that  I  have  been  engaged  in  the  organization 
of  freedmen  for  over  a  year,  and  have  necessarily  been 
thrown  in  contact  with  their  orders. 


12G  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

Strict  Obedience. — "The  Negro,  in  a  state  of  slav- 
ery, is  brought  up  by  the  master  from  early  childhood 
to  strict  obedience  and  to  obey  implicitly  the  dictates 
of  the  wlrte  man,  and  they  are  thus  led  to  believe  that 
they  are  an  inferior  race.  Now,  when  organized  into 
troops,  they  carry  their  habits  of  obedience  with  them, 
and  their  officers,  being  entirely  white  men,  the  Negroes 
promptly  obey  them. 

Important  Addition. — "A  regiment  is  thus  rapidly 
brought  into  a  state  of  discipline.  They  are  a  religious 
people — another  high  quality  for  making  good  soldiers. 
They  are  a  musical  people,  and  thus  readily  learn  to 
march  and  accurately  perform  their  maneuvers.  They 
take  pride  in  being  elevated  as  soldiers,  and  keep  them- 
selves, as  their  camp  grounds,  neat  and  clean.  This  I 
know  from  special  inspection,  two  of  my  staff  officers 
being  constantly  on  inspecting  duty.  They  have  proved 
a  most  important  addition  to  our  forces,  enabling  the 
Generals  in  active  operations  to  take  a  large  force  of 
white  troops  into  the  field ;  and  now  brigades  of  blacks 
are  placed  with  the  whites.  The  forts  erected  at  the 
important  points  on  the  river  are  nearly  all  garrisoned 
by  blacks — artillery  regiments  raised  for  the  purpose, 
say  at  Paducah  and  Columbus,  Kentucky ;  Memphis, 
Tennessee ;  Vicksburg  and  Natchez,  Mississippi,  and 
most  of  the  works  around  New  Orleans. 

Heavy  Guns. — "Experience  proves  that  they  manage 
the  heavy  guns  very  well.  Their  fighting  qualities 
have  also  been  fully  tested  a  number  of  times,  and  I 
have  yet  to  hear  of  the  first  case  where  they  did  not 
fully  stand  up  to  their  work.  I  passed  over  the  ground 
where  the  First  Louisiana  made  the  gallant  charge  at 
Port  Hudson,  by  far  the  stronger  part  of  the  rebel 
works.  The  wonder  is  that  so  many  have  made  their 


GENERAL   EDWARD   JOHNSON   AND   G.  H.  STEWART  AS   PRISONERS 
IN  CHARGE  OF   A  FORMER  SLAVE. 

127 


128  PROGRESS    OF   A    RACE. 

escape.  At  Milliken's  Bend,  where  I  had  three  incom- 
plete regiments — one  without  arms  until  the  day  prev- 
ious to  the  attack — greatly  superior  numbers  of  the 
rebels  charged  furiously  up  to  the  very  breastwork. 
The  Negroes  met  the  enemy  on  the  ramparts,  and  both 
sides  freely  used  the  bayonet,  a  most  rare  occurrence 
in  warfare,  as  one  or  the  other  party  gives  way  before 
coming  in  contact  with  the  steel.  The  rebels  were 
defeated  with  heavy  loss.  The  bridge  at  Moscow,  on 
the  line  of  railroad  from  Memphis  to  Corinth,  was 
defended  by  one  small  regiment  of  blacks.  A  cavalry 
attack  of  three  times  their  number  was  made,  the 
blacks  defeating  them  in  three  charges  made  by  the 
rebels. ' ' 

General  S.  C.  Armstrong,  who  for  years  was  at  the 
head  of  Hampton  Institute,  says:  "Two  and  one-half 
years'  service  with  Negro  -soldiers  (half  a  year  as 
captain  and  major  in  the  One  Hundred  and  Twentieth 
New  York  Volunteers)  as  lieutenant-colonel  and 
colonel  of  the  Ninth  and  Eighth  regiments  of  the 
United  States  colored  troops,  convinced  me  of  the  excel- 
lent qualities  and  capacities  of  the  freedmen.  Their 
quick  response  to  good  treatment,  and  to  discipline, 
was  a  constant  surprise.  Their  tidiness,  devotion  to 
their  duty  and  their  leaders,  their  dash  and  daring  in 
battle,  and  ambition  to  improve,  even  studying  their 
spelling  books  under  fire,  showed  that  slavery  was  a 
false,  though  doubtless  for  the  time  being  an  educative, 
condition,  and  that  they  deserve  as  good  a  chance  as 
any  people. 

A  Cavalry  Force. — "A  cavalry  force  of  three  hun- 
dred and  fifty  attacked  three  hundred  rebel  cavalry 
near  the  Big  Black  with  signal  success,  a  number  of 
prisoners  being  taken  and  marched  to  Vicksburg. 


THE    NEGRO   IN    THE    CIVIL    WAR.  l'*J 

Forrest  attacked  Paducah  with  7,500  men.  The  garri- 
son was  between  500  and  600,  nearly  400  being  colored 
troops  recently  raised.  What  troops  could  have  done 
better?  So,  too,  they  fought  well  at  Fort  Pillow  till 
overpowered  by  greatly  superior  numbers.  The 
above  enumerated  cases  seem  to  be  sufficient  to  de- 
monstrate the  value  of  the  colored  troops. ' ' 

Few  of  Many  Tributes. — These  are  but  few  of  the 
many  tributes  that  generals  and  white  leaders  have 
cheerfully  given  to  the  loyalty,  valor  and  bravery  of 
the  colored  troops  during  the  war.  George  Williams 
truly  says :  ' '  No  officer,  whose  privilege  it  was  to  com- 
mand or  observe  the  conduct  of  these  troops,  has  ever 
hesitated  to  give  a  full  and  cheerful  endorsement  of 
their  worth  as  men,  their  loyalty  as  Americans,  and 
their  eminent  qualifications  for  the  duties  and  dangers 
of  military  life.  No  history  of  the  war  has  ever  been 
written  without  mentioning  the  patience,  endurance, 
fortitude,  and  heroism  of  the  Negro  soldiers  who 
prayed,  wept,  fought,  bled  and  died  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  Union  of  the  United  States  of  America." 

Items  of  Interest. — History  records  the  fact  that 
during  the  late  rebellion  the  Negro  soldiers  partici- 
pated in  more  than  four  hundred  engagements. 

There  were  between  four  and  five  hundred  Negro 
soldiers  who  were  engaged  in  the  battle  of  New 
Orleans. 

About  6,000  Negroes  were  connected  in  different 
ways  with  the  Confederate  arrny. 

The  first  colored  regiment  to  enter  the  services  of 
the  rebellion  was  the  Fifty-fourth  Massachusetts  Vol- 
unteers. 


B    S 


"3 

o 

2  >- 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    NEGRO    SOLDIER    IN    THE     CUBAN    INSURRECTION    AND 
SPANISH-AMERICAN    WAR. 

Written  expressly  for  this  book  by  Prof.  W.  H.  Crogman,  A.  M. 

The  persistent  efforts  of  Spain  to  retain  under  her 
cruel,  corrupt,  and  inefficient  government  the  fertile 
island  of  Cuba  have  again,  in  these  closing  years  of  the 
nineteenth  century,  brought  to  light  the  splendid  qual- 
ities of  the  Negro  soldier.  Of  limited  education,  poorly 
armed,  poorly  clad,  and  poorly  fed,  he  has  shared  the 
toils,  the  perils,  the  privations  of  his  white  compatriots, 
and  has  exhibited  such  fortitude  and  loyalty,  such 
unswerving  devotion  to  the  cause  of  Cuban  liberty 
as  to  win  unstinted  praise  even  from  those  cherishing 
strong  prejudice  against  his  race.  Whatever  may  be 
the  future  of  Cuba,  impartial  history  will  ascribe  to  the 
Negro  no  small  part  of  the  sacrifice  made  for  her  de- 
liverance. Both  as  a  slave  and  as  a  freedman  his  sym- 
pathies were  with  the  insurgents.  In  the  first  revolu- 
tion, beginning  October  10,  1868,  and  lasting  ten  years, 
there  were  thousands  of  blacks  under  the  insurgent 
standard.  It  is  reasonable  to  believe,  that  in  this  first 
uprising  they  imbibed  the  martial  spirit,  and  acquired 
that  training  and  discipline  which  made  them  so  effi- 
cient in  the  last  struggle  to  throw  off  the  Spanish  yoke. 
It  has  been  officially  stated  that  of  the  thirty  thousand 
Cubans  recently  under  arms  two-fifths  were  Negroes, 
commonly  so  called. 

131 


132  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

Leadership. — Not  only  soldiers,  however,  but  Negro 
leaders  of  conspicuous  ability  were  brought  to  light  by 
the  recent  Cuban  insurrection.  Prominent  among 
these  may  be  mentioned  Flor  Crombet,  a  dashing  lead- 
er, a  stubborn  fighter,  unflinching  in  his  loyalty  to 
Cuba  as  he  was  unrelenting  in  his  hostility  to  Spain. 

Equally  brave,  and  more  of  a  military  genius,  per- 
haps, was  Quintin  Bandera,  a  Negro  of  unmixed  blood. 
Indeed,  there  is  much  of  romance  in  the  life  of  this 
man.  Hon.  Amos  J.  Cummings,  one  of  the  five  con- 
gressmen invited  by  the  New  York  Journal  to  visit 
Cuba,  and  report  the  state  of  things  there,  had  this  to 
say  about  Quintin  Bandera,  in  his  speech  before  Con- 
gress, Friday,  April,  29,  1898: 

"Quintin  Bandera  means  'fifteen  flags.'  The  appel- 
lation was  given  to  Bandera  because  he  had  captured 
fifteen  Spanish  ensigns.  He  is  a  coal-black  Negro,  of 
remarkable  military  ability.  He  was  a  slave  of  Que- 
sada.  With  others  of  Maceo's  staff,  he  was  sent  to 
prison  at  Ceuta.  While  in  prison  the  daughter  of  a 
Spanish  officer  fell  in  love  with  him.  Through  her  aid, 
he  escaped  in  a  boat  to  Gibraltar,  where  he  became  a 
British  subject  and  married  his  preserver.  She  is  of 
Spanish  and  Moorish  blood,  and  is  said  to  be  a  lady  of 
education  and  refinement.  She  taught  her  husband 
to  read  and  write,  and  takes  great  pride  in  his  achieve- 
ments." 

Antonio  Maceo. — Of  all  the  leaders  produced  by  the 
Cuban  war  the  most  colossal  and  imposing  figure  is 
Antonio  Maceo.  Says  Mr.  Cummings  of  him : 

"He  was  as  swift  on  the  march  as  either  Sheridan  or 
Stonewall  Jackson,  and  equally  as  prudent  and  wary. 
He  had  flashes  of  military  genius  when  a  crisis  arose. 
It  was  to  his  sudden  inspiration  that  Martinez  Campos 


NEGRO  SOLDIER  IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR.    133 

owed  his  final  defeat  at  Coliseo,  giving  the  patriots  the 
opportunity  to  overrun  the  richest  of  the  western 
provinces  and  to  carry  the  war  to  the  very  gates  of 
Havana." 


GEN.    ANTONIO    MACEO. 


Speaking  of  his  attachment  to  the  cause  of  Cuban 
liberty,  the  same  author  says: 

"  No  one  has  ever  questioned  his  patriotism.  Money 
could  not  buy  him ;  promises  could  not  deceive  him. 


134  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

His  devotion  to  Cuban  freedom  was  like  the  devotion 
of  a  father  to  his  family.  All  his  energies,  physical 
and  intellectual,  were  given  freely  to  his  country." 

It  is  well  known  that  of  all  the  men  arrayed  against 
them  the  Spaniards  dreaded  Maceo  most.  Through 
emissaries  they  made  repeated  efforts  to  have  him 
poisoned ;  but  without  success.  When  finally  the  news 
reached  them  of  his  fall  by  Spanish  bullets,  their  joy 
was  indescribable  and  their  hope  of  success  corre- 
spondingly raised. 

The  greatness  of  this  man  as  a  leader,  however,  ap- 
parent as  it  was  in  his  life,  became  even  more  so  in  his 
death.  His  fall  sent  a  shock  throughout  the  civilized 
world.  Men  felt  instinctively  that  the  Cuban  cause 
had  lost  its  mightiest  chieftain,  its  loftiest  source  of 
inspiration.  It  is  doubtful,  indeed,  whether  the  death 
of  any  man  within  the  century  produced  a  sorrow  more 
general  and  profound.  So  sincere  was  the  regret  that 
for  weeks,  nay,  almost  months,  people  would  not  be- 
lieve that  the  daring  leader  was  gone.  They  said  it 
was  only  a  ruse  he  was  practicing  on  the  Spaniards, 
and  at  some  moment  when  they  least  expected  him  he 
would  strike  like  a  thunderbolt.  Alas !  that  moment 
was  never  to  come.  His  death,  however,  won  uni- 
versal sympathy  for  the  Cuban  cause.  So  far,  then,  as 
he  was  personally  concerned,  it  was  as  well  for  him  to 
die  when  he  did  as  to  die  later.  He  had  shown  to  the 
world  what  was  in  his  heart  and  brain ;  he  had  written 
his  name  high  upon  the  scroll  of  the  world's  heroes; 
he  had  done  this,  too,  not  for  vain-glory,  not  for  self 
aggrandizement,  not  for  the  purpose  of  crushing  and 
humiliating  his  fellow-men;  but  for  the  purpose  of 
rescuing  a  suffering  people  from  a  hideous  and  op- 
pressive tyranny. 


NEGRO  SOLDIER  IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN   WAR.     135 

The  Negro  Soldier  in  the  Spanish-American  War. 

— It  is  an  historic  fact  that  reflects  no  little  credit  on  the 
Negro,  that  on  the  very  verge  of  hostilities  with  Spain 
the  first  regiment  ordered  to  the  front  was  the  Twenty- 
fourth  United  States  regulars.  This  colored  regiment, 
like  all  the  regiments  of  its  kind,  had,  in  time  of  peace, 
maintained  in  the  West  a  splendid  record,  not  only  for 
soldierly  efficiency,  but  for  manly  and  respectful  con- 
duct. Wherever  quartered  in  that  section  of  country 
the  Negro  regiments  were  liked,  and  in  more  than  one 
instance  did  the  citizens  petition  for  their  retention 
when  they  were  about  to  be  moved,  preferring  their 
presence  to  that  of  white  troops.  It  is  safe  to  say,  per- 
haps, that  the  best  behaved  men  in  times  of  peace  are 
the  best  and  most  reliable  men  in  times  of  war.  Char- 
acter always  tells.  The  ruffian  and  the  rowdy  are 
brave  under  favorable  conditions,  when  the  odds  are 
on  their  side.  It  requires  courageous  men  to  face 
coolly  all  sorts  of  dangers  and  difficulties.  The  short 
war  with  Spain  has  shown  Negroes  to  be  just  such 
men.  From  no  service  have  the  black  soldiers  shrunk. 
At  no  time  did  they  show  the  white  feather.  With 
far  less  to  inspire  them  they  have  shown  themselves  on 
every  occasion  not  one  whit  inferior  to  their  white 
comrades  in  arms.  Nay,  some  are  inclined  to  give 
them  the  palm  for  bravery  displayed  in  the  recent  war 
around  Santiago  and  at  other  stubbornly-disputed 
points.  A  correspondent  of  the  New  York  Sun — a 
paper  quick,  by  the  way,  to  recognize  the  merits  of 
the  black  troops — describing  the  scenes  on  that  fatal 
Friday  at  Santiago,  said : 

"While  the  proportion  of  colored  men  wounded  has 
been  large,  by  their  courage  and  supreme  cheerfulness 
they  have  really  carried  off  the  palm  for  heroism." 


NEGRO  SOLDIER  IN   THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN   WAR.     137 

Here  is  what  one  of  the  wounded  Rough  Riders,  Ken- 
neth Robinson,  has  to  say  about  the  black  soldiers. 
Robinson  is  lying  in  one  of  the  tents  here  suffering 
from  a  shot  through  his  chest.  A  pair  of  underdraws 
and  one  sock,  the  costume  in  which  he  arrived  from 
the  front,  is  all  that  he  has  to  his  name  at  present. 
On  the  next  cot  to  him  lies  an  immense  Negro,  who 
has  been  simply  riddled  with  bullets,  but  is  still  able 
to  crack  a  smile  and  even  to  hum  a  tune  occasionally. 
Between  him  and  the  Calumet  man  there  has  sprung 
up  a  friendship.  Til  tell  you  what  it  is,'  said  Robin- 
son this  morning,  'Without  any  disregard  to  my  own 
regiment  I  want  to  say  that  the  whitest  men  in  this 
fight  have  been  the  black  ones.  At  all  events  they 
have  been  the  best  friends  that  the  Rough  Riders  have 
had,  and  every  one  of  us,  from  Colonel  Roosevelt 
down,  appreciates  it.  When  our  men  were  being 
mown  down  to  right  and  left  in  that  charge  up  the  hill 
it  was  the  black  cavalry  men  who  were  the  first  to  carry 
our  wounded  away,  and  during  that  awful  day  and 
night  that  I  lay  in  the  field  hospital,  waiting  for  a 
chance  to  get  down  here,  it  was  two  big  colored  men, 
badly  wounded  themselves,  who  kept  my  spirits  up. 
Why,  in  camp  every  night  before  the  fight  the  colored 
soldiers  used  to  come  over  and  serenade  Colonels 
Wood  and  Roosevelt;  and  weren't  they  just  tickled  to 
death  about  it '  The  last  night  before  I  was  wounded 
a  whole  lot  of  them  came  over,  and  when  Colonel  Roose- 
velt made  a  little  speech  thanking  them  for  their  songs, 
one  big  sergeant  got  up  and  said:  'It's  all  right,  col- 
onel, we'se  all  rough  riders  now.'  " 

From  another  source  we  take  the  following : 
"I  was  standing  near  Captain  Capron  and  Hamilton 
"  said  the  corporal  to  the  Associated  Press  corre- 


138  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

spondent  tonight,  "and  saw  them  shot  down.  They 
were  with  the  Rough  Riders  and  ran  into  an  ambush, 
though  they  had  been  warned  of  the  danger.  Captain 
Capron  and  Fish  were  shot  while  leading  a  charge. 
If  it  had  not  been  for  the  Negro  cavalry,  the  Rough 
Riders  would  have  been  exterminated.  I  am  not  a 
Negro  lover.  My  father  fought  with  Mosby's  rangers, 
and  I  was  born  in  the  South,  but  the  Negroes  saved 
thaffight,  and  the  day  will  come  when  General  Shafter 
will  give  them  credit  for  their  bravery. ' ' 

A  correspondent  of  the  Atlanta  Evening  Journal, 
July  30,  1898,  has  this  to  say: 

' '  I  have  been  asked  repeatedly  since  my  return  about 
what  kind  of  soldiers  the  Negroes  make.  The  Negroes 
make  fine  soldiers.  Physically  the  colored  troops  are  the 
best  men  in  the  army,  especially  the  men  in  the  Ninth 
and  Tenth  cavalry.  Every  man  of  them  is  a  giant.  The 
Negroes  in  the  Twenty-fourth  and  Twenty-fifth  infan- 
try, too,  are  all  big  fellows.  These  colored  regiments 
fought  as  well,  according  to  General  Sumner,  in  whose 
command  they  were,  as  the  white  regiments.  What  I 
saw  of  them  in  battle  confirmed  what  General  Sumner 
said.  The  Negroes  seemed  to  be  absolutely  without 
fear,  and  certainly  no  troops  advanced  more  promptly 
when  the  order  was  given  than  they. ' ' 

In  the  course  of  the  war,  however,  there  came  to  the 
colored  troops  a  severer  test  than  that  of  facing  Mauser 
bullets.  A  yellow  fever  hospital  was  to  be  cleansed 
and  yellow  fever  sufferers  were  to  be  nursed.  An 
order  went  forth  from  General  Miles  that  a  regiment 
be  detailed  for  such  service.  "In  response  to  this 
order,"  said  Mr.  Robert  B.  Cramer  in  the  Atlanta 
Constitution,  Tuesday,  August  16,  1898,  "the  Twenty- 
fourth  infantry,  made  up  entirely  of  colored  men,  left 


NEGRO  SOLDIER  IN  THE  SPANISH-AMERICAN  WAR.    139 

their  trenches  at  night,  and  at  dawn  the  next  morning 
they  had  reported  to  Dr.  LaGarde.  An  hour  later  they 
were  put  at  work,  and  before  sunset  again  the  lines  of 
their  tents  were  straightened  out,  the  debris  of  the 
burned  buildings  was  cleared  away,  the  waterworks 
were  put  in  operation,  and  the  entire  camp  became  a 
place  in  which  a  sick  man  stood  at  least  a  fighting 
chance  of  getting  well. ' ' 

"It  was  peculiarly  appropriate,"  continues  Mr. 
Cramer,  "that  the  Twenty- fourth  should  be  selected 
for  that  place,  because  it  was  one  of  unquestionable 
honor,  and  at  that  time  .there  was  nothing  that  could 
be  done  for  the  colored  troops  in  paying  tribute  to  their 
work  as  soldiers  that  ought  not  to  have  been  done.  In 
all  the  disputes  that  historians  will  indulge  in  as  to  who 
did  and  who  did  not  do  their  duty  at  the  siege  of  Santi- 
ago no  one  will  ever  question  the  service  of  the  dark- 
skinned  regulars,  who  from  the  time  the  Tenth  fought 
with  the  Rough  Riders  in  the  first  day's  fight,  until 
the  Twenty-fifth  infantry  participated  in  the  actual 
surrender,  did  their  whole  duty  as  soldiers.  All  that 
can  be  said  in  praise  of  any  regiment  that  participated 
in  the  campaign  can  be  said  of  those  regiments  which 
were  made  up  of  colored  troops,  and  I  am  glad  to 
quote  General  Wheeler  as  saying: 

'The  only  thing  necessary  in  handling  a  colored 
regiment  is  to  have  officers  over  them  who  are  equally 
courageous.  Give  them  the  moral  influence  of  good 
leadership  and  they  are  as  fine  soldiers  as  exist  any- 
where in  the  world.  Put  them  where  you  want  them, 
point  out  what  you  want  them  to  shoot  at  and  they  will 
keep  on  shooting  until  either  their  officers  tell  them  to 
stop  or  they  are  stopped  by  the  enemy. '  ' ' 

Such  testimony  from  a  hard-fighting  ex-Confederate 


140  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

general  ought  to  be  sufficient  to  establish  the  merits  of 
the  Negro  as  a  soldier ;  but  it  may  be  well,  as  there  is 
evidence  varied  and  abundant,  and  from  high  author- 
ity to  hear  from  others.  Mr.  George  Kennan  of  Sibe- 
rian prison  fame,  special  correspondent  for  the  Outlook, 
wrote  in  the  issue  of  August  13: 

"I  have  not,  as  yet,  the  information  necessary  to  do 
anything  like  justice  to  the  regiments  that  particularly 
distinguished  themselves  in  Friday's  battle;  but  upon 
the  basis  of  the  information  I  already  have,  I  do  not 
hesitate  to  call  especial  attention  to  the  splendid 
behavior  of  the  colored  troops.  It  is  the  testimony  of 
all  who  saw  them  under  fire,  that  they  fought  with  the 
utmost  courage,  coolness,  and  determination,  and  Col- 
onel Roosevelt  said  to  a  squad  of  them  in  the  trenches, 
in  my  presence,  that  he  never  expected  to  have,  and 
could  not  ask  to  have  better  men  beside  him  in  a  hard 
fight.  If  soldiers  come  up  to  Colonel  Roosevelt's 
standard  of  courage,  their  friends  have  no  reason  to 
feel  ashamed  of  them.  His  commendation  is  equiva- 
lent to  a  medal  of  honor  for  conspicuous  gallantry, 
because,  in  the  slang  of  the  camp,  he  himself  is  'a 
fighter  from  'way  back. '  I  can  testify,  furthermore, 
from  my  own  personal  observation  in  the  field  hospital 
of  the  Fifth  army  corps  Saturday  and  Sunday  night 
that  the  colored  regulars  who  were  brought  in  there 
displayed  extraordinary  fortitude  and  self  control. 
There  were  a  great  many  of  them,  but  I  can  not  re- 
member to  have  heard  a  groan  or  a  complaint  from  a 
single  man." 

His  Patriotism. — At  the  outbreak  of  the  war  with 
Spain,  there  were  not  wanting  those  who  questioned 
the  patriotism  of  the  Negro.  To  all  such  skeptics  we 
commend  the  following  extract  from  the  organ  of  the 
American  Missionary  Association : 


142  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

"Never  can  the  students  of  Talladega  college  forget 
the  commencement  of  1898,  when  so  many  brave  men 
left  their  cherished  plans  to  engage  in  the  war  with 
Spain.  Those  laughter-loving  boys,  earnest  in  study, 
but  full  of  fun  and  careless  sometimes,  as  boys  will  be 
— one  hardly  knew  them  when  the  war  spirit  rose  and 
they  stood  in  line  with  the  new,  steady  light  of  resolu- 
tion shining  in  their  dark  eyes.  In  1860  young  men  of 
Anglo-Saxon  blood  left  that  same  building  to  fight 
against  the  Union.  One  of  those  young  men,  now 
governor  of  the  state,  thirty-eight  years  later,  tele- 
graphs to  the  same  school  asking  Negroes  to  defend 
the  same  government,  and  they  cheerfully  respond. 
Is  not  this  a  revolution  of  the  wheel  of  time? 

The  governor's  telegram  came  Wednesday,  almost 
two  weeks  before  commencement.  All  volunteers 
were  prompt,  having  completed  satisfactorily  the  work 
of  the  year  with  the  exception  of  the  closing  exercises. 

Thirty  in  all  volunteered,  three  or  four  of  whom 
were  not  students,  a  third  of  this  number  being  unable 
to  pass  the  severe  physical  test.  A  farewell  meeting 
was  held  in  the  chapel,  and  the  young  soldiers  told  in 
stirring  words  the  motives  that  led  them  to  offer  their 
lives  to  their  country;  their  resolve  to  fight  for  the 
freedom  of  bleeding  Cuba,  their  love  of  the  Stars  and 
Stripes  in  spite  of  the  wrongs  they  themselves  had 
suffered,  their  strong  desire  to  show  that  Negroes  could 
not  only  live  and  work,  but  die,  like  men.  Many 
earnest  appeals  were  made  for  prayers,  that  they  might 
never  turn  their  backs  to  their  enemies,  nor  yield  to 
the  temptations  of  camp  life.  At  last  a  qrlcc  little 
woman  with  an  earnest  face  arose  and  told  in  trem- 
bling tones  her  determination  to  go  as  nurse,  if  she 
could  find  an  opportunity.  She  was  called  to  the  plat- 


NEGRO  SOLDIER   IN  THE  SPANISH- AMERICAN   WAR.     143 

form  and  it  was  beautiful  to  see  the  reverence  with 
which  the  tall,  young  fellows  gathered  about  her. 

Talladega  college  had  reason  to  be  proud  of  her 
sons  as  they  marched  to  the  station  with  a  flag  and  a 
band,  and  went  off  with  a  ringing  cheer.  Nor  were 
her  daughters  wanting ;  their  hearts  were  aching,  but 
their  faces  dressed  in  smiles  as  they  sent  their  brothers 
away  as  patriotically  as  those  of  fairer  hue. 

The  Talladega  students  have  not  been  permitted  to 
meet  any  Spaniards  in  battle,  but  their  record  in  camp 
at  Mobile  has  been  true  to  their  promises.  They  have 
shown  to  every  one  the  advantage  of  education.  Their 
officers  prize  them  highly,  and  the  rough,  ignorant 
men  who  are  their  comrades,  have  felt  their  influence, 
so  that  the  governor  has  publicly  commended  their 
behavior. ' ' 

Commenting  on  the  above,  the  writer  says : 

"Probably  no  institution  in  the  East  sent  as  large  a 
percentage  of  student  soldiers  to  bear  the  flag  of  our 
common  country  to  victory  as  did  our  missionary 
schools.  Our  students  have  not  been  taught  that  war 
is  glory.  It  was  conscience  with  them.  They  went 
as  deliverers  from  oppression  and  saw  their  opportunity 
to  prove  their  devotion  and  gratitude  to  the  country 
for  their  own  deliverance.  They  have  made  their 
record. ' ' 

Surely  this  is  very  refreshing,  especially  just  now 
when  a  certain  class  of  persons  are  endeavoring  to 
deprecate  Negro  education,  or  at  least  to  confine  it  to 
manual  training,  as  best  suited  to  the  sphere  in  which 
he  is  to  move,  a  proposition,  we  may  add,  as  absurd  as 
any  that  could  be  propounded  by  enlightened  men 
living  under  a  republican  form  of  government.  Von 
Moltke  attributed  his  success  at  Sadowa  to  the 


144 


PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 


influence  of  the  Prussian  schoolmaster,  and  Wellington 
thought  that  the  battle  of  Waterloo  was  first  won  on 
the  cricket  field  at  Rugby.  Evidently  a  machine  is  a 
good  thing,  but  a  thinking  machine  is  better.  What 
the  Negro  needs  is  thought  power,  and  that  kind  of 
education  which  will  develop  this  power  in  him  will  fit 
him  not  only  for  the  best  mechanic,  but  for  the  best 
soldier  and  most  efficient  citizen. 

In  closing  this  chapter  we  would  add  that  we  have  by 
no  means  exhausted  the  evidence  in  favor  of  the 
Negro  soldier;  but  have  presented  enough  to  show 
that  he  has  won  universal  admiration  and  respect, 
and  is  entitled  to  the  generous  consideration  and 
gratitude  of  the  whole  country. 


TRUCK    TRAIN    OF    THE    365TH    INFANTRY    UNLOADING    TROOPS    AT 
BRUYERES,    VOSGES,    FRANCE. 


DR.  V.  CONRAD  VINCENT-SURGEON,  WHO  HAS  RECENTLY  MADE  VALUABLE 
CONTRIBUTIONS  IN   HIS   CHOSEN   FIELD. 

(C)    C.    M.    Battey. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

THE   SUPREME   TEST   OF  THE   NEGRO  IN   THE  GREAT 
WORLD    WAR. 

No  history  of  the  Negro  could  be  complete  without 
some  word  regarding  his  record  in  the  European  War. 

A  Wonderful  Heritage. — Starting  with  the  Boston 
Massacre,  there  is  Lake  Erie,  Lexington,  Fort  Wagner, 
Milliken  Bend,  Port  Hudson,  Santiago,  Carrizil  and 
countless  others  all  through  the  list.  With  such  a  record 
to  fall  back  on,  is  it  any  wonder  that  the  world  waited 
confidently  for  the  race  to  meet  the  supreme  test?  Has 
a  Negro  ever  been  convicted  of  disloyalty,  sedition,  or 
conspiracy  with  the  enemy? 

The  Slate  Is  Clean. — Prejudice,  discrimination,  unfair- 
ness, even  brutality  there  has  been  in  dealing  with  the 
Negro  both  in  peace  and  in  war.  But  in  spite  of  the 
handicap,  the  American  Negro  has  as  much  right  to  be 
proud  of  his  showing  on  the  battlefields  of  the  world 
as  any  other  nation  or  people  on  earth. 

A  Brief  Outline. — It  is  not  our  purpose  or  desire  to 
render  a  detailed  account  of  Negroes'  war  work.  We 
will  try  merely  to  present  some  of  the  most  important 
facts  and  figures  in  their  relationship  to  the  entire  con- 
flict. 

In  the  Same  Way  we  shall  endeavor  to  pass  over  the 
unalterable  fact  that  our  boys  gave  their  all  to  make  the 
world  safe  for  democracy,  even  when  the  fundamental 
rights  of  democracy  were  denied  them  in  their  own  land. 

We  Can  Never  Forget  the  organized  propaganda  of 
prejudice  against  us,  the  unfair  segregation  of  both 
officers  and  men,  the  dirty,  underhanded  methods  of  dis- 

147 


THE  FAMOUS  FIGHTING  TENTH  CAVALRY   IN   MARCHING  ORDER.      A  PART 
OF    THE    AMERICAN    EXPEDITIONARY    FORCES    IN     MEXICO. 


325TH    FIELD    SIGNAL    BATTALION    STRINGING    WIRE    ON    THE    MARNE. 


I7TH    PROVISIONAL    RESERVE    OFFICERS    TRAINING    REGIMENT,    FORT    DES 
MOINES,    IOWA,   JULY    28,    IQI7,    COL.    C.    C.    BALLOU    COMMANDING. 


150  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

crimination,  or  the  lies  about  us.  We  do  not  forget,  but 
we  would  far  rather  remember  that  France  welcomed 
us  as  men  and  equals,  that  we  did  our  plain  duty  as  we 
saw  it,  and  that  the  whole  world  honors  us  for  it. 

The  Black  Colonials. — Germany  was  whipped  at  the 
first  battle  of  the  Marne — and  beaten  by  Negroes. 
Two  hundred  and  eighty  thousand  black  Senegalese 
volunteers  blocked  the  passing  of  the  Marne  and  the 
Ourcq.  Then  there  were  over  30,000  blacks  from  the 
Congo  in  the  Belgian  army,  and  at  least  20,000  West 
Indians  with  the  British.  German  Africa  was  taken  by 
thousands  of  black  warriors. 

But  We  Are  More  interested  in  the  American  Negro. 
Two  hundred  thousand  of  them  went  overseas  with  the 
American  Expeditionary  Forces. 

Stevedores. — Of  this  number  about  150,000  were 
stevedores  or  laborers,  carrying  on  in  the  S.  O.  S.  under 
unbelievable  circumstances.  They  were  Jim  Crowed  as 
to  food,  clothing  and  housing ;  worked  like  dogs,  insulted, 
even  beaten;  they  built  roads,  hewed  logs,  worked  as 
section  hands,  moved  freight,  often  twelve  to  fifteen 
hours  per  day. 

Think  of  a  body  of  men  working  honestly  and  faith- 
fully under  these  trying  conditions  and  you  will  know 
what  manner  of  men  they  were.  Even  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.'s 
were  subject  to  Jim  Crow  regulations  to  avoid  fraterniz- 
ing between  black  and  white. 

NEGRO   OFFICERS. 

The  1 7th  Provisional  R.  O.  T.  C.  was  organized  at 
Fort  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  in  June,  1917,  with  1,200  edu- 
cated Negroes  drawn  from  every  section  of  the  country. 
Of  this  number  639  were  given  commissions  and  assigned 
to  train  the  colored  men  in  the  draft.  There  were  106 


THE    NEGRO   IN   THE   GREAT    WORLD   WAR.  153 

captains,  329  first  lieutenants  and  204  second  lieutenants. 
The  rank  of  captain  was  the  highest  given. 

The  Color  Question. — Naturally  the  status  of  colored 
officers  came  up,  but  in  most  cases  they  were  received 
on  a  basis  of  complete  equality  commensurate  with  their 
rank. 

White  or  Colored  Officers. — There  seems  to  be  little 
doubt  but  that  the  colored  troops  fought  best  under  the 
leadership  of  Negro  officers.  We  cite  the  case  of  the 
3/oth  Inf.  under  Negro  officers,  the  37ist  under  white 
officers,  and  the  3/2d  and  369th  under  both  black  and 
white.  The  record  of  the  37oth  Inf.  stands  out  more 
conspicuously  than  any  of  the  others. 

Colonel  Charles  Young. — Here  was  a  Negro  officer 
worthy  of  leading  an  entire  division  of  his  own  troops. 
One  of  the  three  colored  graduates  of  West  Point,  he 
was  denied  the  opportunity  of  participating  in  the  World 
War  for  democracy.  At  the  beginning  of  the  war  he 
was  put  on  the  inactive  list,  despite  the  fact  that  he  rode 
over  five  hundred  miles  on  horseback  from  Ohio  to 
Washington  in  an  effort  to  convince  the  War  Department 
of  his  fitness  for  military  duty. 

NEGRO   COMBAT   TROOPS. 

The  92d. — In  the  spring  of  1918  when  the  German 
drive  menaced  Paris  and  the  whole  world  waited  in  an 
agony  of  suspense  for  America  to  prepare,  the  call  came 
from  Pershing  for  the  92d  Division.  No  one  could  doubt 
its  readiness.  They  went  through  embarkation,  de- 
barkation, training  areas,  quiet  sectors,  and  never  had  a 
real  chance  until  the  end  of  the  war.  In  spite  of  every 
conceivable  difficulty  in  France,  no  other  American 
division  has  a  better  record. 


COL.   WILLIAM    HAYWARD  COMMANDING   36OTH    INFANTRY.      SENDING 
A   MESSAGE  BY  CARRR1ER  PIGEON. 


THE   OLD    I5TH    NEW    YORK,   ONLY    COLORED    REGIMENT    ON    THE 
SKIRMISH   LINE. 


156  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

The  93d  Division.  —  This  division  never  functioned  as 
a  complete  unit,  but  was  for  the  most  part  brigaded  with 
the  French.  The  men  fought  splendidly  in  the  Cham- 
pagne and  Argonne,  and  were  highly  praised  by  the 
French.  For  instance,  the  37oth  Regiment  received  more 
citations  for  bravery  than  any  other  American  regiment 
on  the  field  of  battle  ;  this,  mind  you,  under  leadership  of 
colored  officers. 

SUPPLEMENTARY    WAR    WORKS. 

Negro  Women  in  the  War.  —  An  entire  book  could  be 
written  about  the  Negro  woman's  enthusiastic   service 
in  the  emergency  of  war,  how  she  overcame  the  race 
problem  by  sheer  patriotism,  how  the  colored  hostess_ 
Jioujes_and  rest  room^were  established. 
^ 


that  she  duTTar  more^fhan  heFshare  in  Red  Cross  arid 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  work,  Liberty  Loan  Drives  and  important 
work  in  war  industries.  She  shuFher  eyes  to  past  wrongs 
and  present  discomforts,  and  did  her  best  to  make  the 
world  a  better  place  to  live  in. 

The  Y.  M.  C.  A.  —  It  was  not  until  a  colored  man  was 
put  in  charge  of  Negro  Y.  M.  C.  A.  work  that  this 
organization  ever  did  anything  for  the  Negro  troops. 
Even  then  sufficient  secretaries  and  materials  were  not 
furnished  to  make  the  work  effective.  The  color  line  was 
strongly  drawn  by  all  white  secretaries,  and  colored  troops 
were  refused  the  privileges  of  the  huts. 

The  Knights  of  Columbus.  —  Take,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  Knights  of  Columbus,  while  they  did  maintain  sep- 
arate huts  in  various  camps,  never  raised  the  color  ques- 
tion. This  organization  was  highly  spoken  of  for  its 
work,  both  at  home  and  abroad,  by  members  of  Negro 
units. 


COLORED    SOLDIERS     WHO    HAVE    BEEN    WOUNDED    AND    ARE    NOW    CON- 
VALESCING AT  BASE   HOSPITAL   NO.   3,   NEW   YORK  CITY. 


THE   LATE   LJEUT.    "jIMMIE"    EUROPE    AND    HIS    FAMOUS    "l5TH"   JAZZ 
BAND  SNAPPED  ON   THEIR  TRIUMPHANT   RETURN   TO    NEW   YORK. 


158  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

Here  is  the  Record  in  Black  and  White: 

Number  of  Negroes  registered 2,290,527 

Number  of  Negroes  examined 458,838 

Number  of  Negroes  inducted 367,710 

Number   of    Negroes   accepted    for   full 

military  service    342,277 

Number  of  Negro  soldiers  mobilized  in- 
cluding regular  army  units 380,000 

Number  of  combat  troops  overseas v  4-'.<wo 

Number  of  divisions  sent  to  France. ...  2 

The  following  number  of  Negro  organizations  other 
than  combat  troops  served  across  the  seas : 

Engineer  Service  Battalions 46 

Labor  Battalions   44 

Labor  Companies 24 

Pioneer  Infantry  Regiments 15 

Stevedore  Regiments    3 

Stevedore  Battalions 2 

Butchery  Companies  2 

Decorations,  Citations  and  Awards  for  Bravery. — 

Four  complete  Negro  infantry  regiments  and  one  whole 
battalion  were  awarded  the  Croix  de  Guerre  by  the 
French  government  as  a  reward  for  gallantry  in  action. 
They  are  the  369th,  37oth,  371  st,  372d,  and  the  ist  Bat- 
talion of  the  367111  Regiment. 

Privates  Roberts  and  Johnson. — Two  Negro  warriors, 
Privates  Henry  Johnson  and  Needham  Roberts,  were  the 
first  American  soldiers  to  be  awarded  the  Croix  de 
Guerre  in  France. 

Our  Colored  Heroes  Cited  for  Bravery  in  Battle.— 
The  following  members  of  the  colored  officers  and  men 
were  decorated  individually  for  bravery  in  action  while 
members  of  the  American  Expeditionary  Forces: 


WATCHING    A    GERMAN    AIRPLANE    AT    MESS    TIME. 


COLORED  SOLDIERS  IN  THE  TRENCHES  UNDER  BATTLE  CONDITIONS. 


160  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

325th  Field  Signal  Battalion 2 

349th  Field  Artillery 5 

350th  M.  G.  Battalion I 

35ist  M.  G.  Battalion i 

365th  Infantry   26 

366th  Infantry  40 

367th  Infantry Entire  ist   Battalion 

368th  Infantry   14 

3O9th  Infantry   120 

370th  Infantry   83 

37ist  Infantry   85 

372d  Infantry 102 

Other  Officers. — In  addition  to  the  639  officers  who 
were  commissioned  at  Fort  Des  Moines,  in  1917,  we  find 
a  record  of  the  following  other  Negro  officers: 

Chaplains  60 

Commissioned  later,  infantry 107 

Commissioned  later,  artillery 33 

Medical  officers   1 25 

SOME  TRIBUTES  TO  THE  HEROIC  PATRIOTISM   OF 
THE    NEGRO. 

President  Woodrow  Wilson  issued  a  special  memo- 
randum in  which  he  paid  tribute  to  the  loyalty  and  fidelity 
of  the  colored  Americans. 

Honorable  Newton  D.  Baker,  Secretary  of  War,  said : 
"The  Negro  soldiers  in  the  service  of  their  country 
proved  faithful  and  efficient,  and  will  uphold  the  tradi- 
tions of  their  race." 

General  John  J.  Pershing,  Commander  in  Chief  of 
the  American  Expeditionary  Forces,  is  quoted  as  fol- 
lows: "I  cannot  commend  too  highly  the  spirit  shown 
among  the  colored  combat  troops,  who  exhibit  fine 


GENERAL    HOFFMAN    AND    STAFF    OUTSIDE    OF    93D    D^ISION    HEAD- 
QUARTERS  IN   FRANCE. 


BAPTIZING    NEGRO    SOLDIERS     AT    CAMP    GORDON. 


162  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

capacity  for  quick  training  and  eagerness  for  the  most 
dangerous  work." 

The  Late  Theodore  Roosevelt  said  in  his  last  public 
appearance:  "Had  I  been  permitted  to  raise  troops  to 
go  on  the  other  side,  I  should  have  asked  permission 
to  raise  two  colored  regiments.  I  had  intended  to  offer 
Colonel  Charles  Young  the  leadership  of  one  regiment, 
telling  him  I  expected  him  to  choose  only  colored  officers." 

Colonel  C.  E.  Goodwyn,  in  charge  of  the  largest 
colored  stevedore  camp  in  France,  said  on  relinquishing 
his  command:  "I  will  always  cherish  a  loving  memory 
of  the  men  of  this  wonderful  organization  which  I  have 
had  the  honor  and  privilege  to  command." 

"The  Negro  Race  in  the  United  States  is  loyal  to  the 
core.  There  is  a  Negro  loyalty  which  is  one  of  the  finest 
traits  of  the  race." — St.  Louis  Globe  Democrat. 

"The  black  man  stood  pat  and  fought  the  good  fight." 
— Houston  Post. 

"The  loyalty  of  the  colored  citizens  has  never  been 
in  doubt." — Secretary  of  State  Daniels. 

From  Congress. — "It  gives  me  pleasure  to  place  upon 
the  enduring  records  of  the  Government  this  brief  but 
true  and  deserved  tribute  to  the  loyalty,  fidelity  and 
patriotism  of  the  colored  citizen  of  America." — Hon.  R. 
W.  Austin  of  Tennessee  on  the  floor  of  the  House  of 
Representatives. 

The  Mayor  of  Pittsburgh,  Pa.,  issued  a  proclamation 
on  the  return  of  the  35ist  F.  A.,  from  which  we  quote 
in  part:  "When  President  Wilson  issued  his  appeal 
calling  on  the  people  of  the  United  States  to  rally  to 
the  support  of  Old  Glory,  none  was  more  spontaneous 
than  the  response  from  the  colored  people  of  the  nation. 
By  their  deeds  they  have  written  their  names  in  golden 
letters  in  history." 


THE   368TH    INFANTRY   ADVANCING  ON    A  CAMOUFLAGED   ROAD    NEAR 
BINARVILLE,  FRANCE. 


ONE  OF  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN    PRISONERS   IN   A  GERMAN   PRISON   CAMP. 
NOTE   THE    CHARACTERISTIC    GOOD    HUMOR   IN    A   DESPERATE   SITUATION. 


1G4  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

The  Chief  Engineer. — The  following  letter  was  sent 
to  the  8o5th  Pioneer  Regiment :  "The  chief  engineer 
desires  to  express  the  highest  appreciation  to  you  and 
to  your  regiment  for  the  services  rendered  to  the  first 
army  in  the  offensive  between  the  Meuse  and  the  Ar- 
gonne,  starting  September  26th,  and  the  continuation 
of  that  offensive  on  November  1st,  and  concluding  with 
the  armistice  on  November  nth.  The  success  of  the 
operation  was  in  no  small  measure  made  possible  by 
the  excellent  work  of  your  troops." 

Mayor  General  Bell  said  at  Camp  Upton  of  the  Buf- 
faloes :  "I  would  lead  you  into  battle  against  any  army 
in  the  world." 

Colonel  Moss,  a  Southerner  by  birth,  said:  "If  prop- 
erly trained  and  instructed,  the  colored  man  makes  as 
good  a  soldier  as  the  world  has  ever  seen." 

Provost  Marshal  General  Crowder  said  in  his  report 
of  the  draft:  "One  of  the  brightest  chapters  in  the 
whole  history  of  the  war  is  the  Negro's  eager  accep- 
tance of  the  draft,  and  the  small  number  of  them  claim- 
ing exemption.  Thirty-one  per  cent  of  registered  Negroes 
were  accepted  for  full  military  service  as  against  only 
twenty-five  per  cent  of  whites." 

NEGRO  LOVE  FOR  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Roscoe  Conkling  Simmons,  nephew  of  the  late 
Booker  T.  Washington,  and  one  of  the  most  forceful 
leaders  of  the  race,  has  this  to  say  of  Negro  loyalty: 
"We  have  a  record  to  defend,  but  no  treason,  thank 
God,  to  atone  or  explain.  While  in  chains  we  fought 
to  free  white  men — from  Lexington  to  Carrizal — and 
returned  again  to  our  chains.  No  Negro  has  ever  in- 
sulted the  flag.  No  Negro  ever  struck  down  a  President 
of  these  United  States.  No  Negro  ever  sold  a  military 


THE    XEGRO   IN   THE   GREAT  '  WORLD    WAR.  165 


SHOWING  HOW  OUR  HEROES  WERE  EQUIPPED  TO 
MAKE  BIRD'S-EYE  MAPS  AND  PHOTOGRAPHS. 

map  or  secret  to  a  foreign  government.  No  Negro  ever 
ran  under  fire  or  lost  an  opportunity  to  serve,  to  fight, 
to  bleed  and  to  die  in  the  republic's  cause.  Accuse  us 
of  what  you  will — justly  and  wrongly — no  man  can  point 
to  a  single  instance  of  our  disloyalty. 

"We  have  but  one  country  and  one  flag,  the  flag  that 
set  us  free.  Its  language  is  our  only  tongue,  and  no 
hyphen  bridges  or  qualifies  our  loyalty.  Today  the 
nation  faces  danger  from  a  foreign  foe,  treason  stalks 
and  skulks  up  and  down  our  land.  In  dark  councils 
intrigue  is  being  hatched.  I  am  a  republican,  but  a 


166  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

Wilson  republican.  Woodrow  Wilson  is  my  leader. 
What  he  commands  me  to  do  I  shall  do.  Where  he 
commands  me  to  go  I  shall  go.  If  he  calls  me  to  the 
colors,  I  shall  not  ask  whether  my  colonel  is  black  or 
white.  I  shall  be  there  to  pick  out  no  color  except  the 
white  of  the  enemy's  eye.  Grievances  I  have  against 
this  people,  against  this  Government.  Injustice  to  me 
there  is,  bad  laws  there  are  upon  the  statute  books,  but 
in  this  hour  of  peril  I  forget — and  you  must  forget — all 
thoughts  of  self,  or  race,  or  creed,  or  politics,  or  color. 
That,  boys,  is  loyalty." 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ONE   HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MIGRATION. 

Some  Fair  Questions. — Why  are  the  Negroes  coming 
North?  How  long  has  the  movement  been  on  foot? 
What  are  the  reasons?  Where  will  it  end?  What  effect 
did  the  World  War  have  on  this  migration? 

Knowledge  Is  Power. — The  modern  Negro  wants  to 
KNOW.  He  isn't  satisfied  with  the  bare  statement  of 
facts  and  conditions.  The  days  when  the  Negro  as  a 
race  left  his  thinking  to  the  white  man  are  past,  and 
let  us  hope  forever.  Here,  then,  is  an  attempt  to  throw 
some  light  on  many  of  these  perplexing  questions. 

The  Beginning. — The  real  migration  of  the  Negro 
from  the  South  to  the  North  began  as  early  as  1815, 
when  some  states  in  the  North  voluntarily  abolished 
slavery.  These  states  became  a  haven  of  refuge  for 
oppressed  Negroes  in  the  South.  In  1810,  five  years 
before  this  time,  there  were  only  102,137  Negroes  in 
the  North. 

In  Spite  of  the  Handicap. — The  North  at  first  did  not 
grant  the  Negro  a  hearty  welcome.  His  lot  was  very 
much  like  that  of  a  fugitive  from  justice.  The  Quakers 
of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia  were  the  first  people  to 
make  it  easy  for  the  slaves  to  reach  free  territory.  They 
had  long  since  freed  their  own  slaves,  and  had  become 
known  as  the  FRIENDS  OF  ALL  HUMANITY  by 
their  brotherly  attitude. 

The  Indiana  Settlement. — In  1822,  at  a  meeting  of 
North  Carolina  Quakers,  territory  now  composing  the 
States  of  Illinois,  Indiana  and  Ohio  was  selected  as 
most  suitable  for  black  colonization,  and  Negroes  were 

167 


LEFT  TO  RIGHT — MR.   JULIUS   ROSENWALD  ;   WARREN  LOGAN,  TREASURER, 

TUSKEGEE    INSTITUTE;    THEODORE   ROOSEVELT;    F.MMETT   J.    SCOTT J    E.    T. 

ATWELL,   SECRETARY   OF  TUSKEGEE  INSTITUTE. 

(Photo  by  A.  P.   BeUon.) 


ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MIGRATION.  16!) 

sent  there  as  fast  as  possible.  This  colony  at  once  be- 
came well  known,  and  served  as  the  true  beginning  of 
the  movement. 

The  Fugitive  Slave  Law. — This  law  did  not  interfere 
with  the  operation  of  the  Underground  Railroad,  which 
grew  out  of  this  situation,  until  about  1850.  Rich  whites 
freed  their  slaves,  sent  them  North,  bought  land  for 
them,  built  schools,  and  provided  opportunities  to  such 
an  extent  that  the  Negro  settlements  extended  finally 
as  far  north  as  Detroit,  Michigan. 

The  Detroit  Colony. — Here,  in  1860,  there  were  more 
Negroes  in  the  county  than  there  were  whites.  Similar 
settlements  sprang  up  all  over  Indiana,  Ohio  and  Illinois. 
The  colored  people  became  prosperous  and  successful 
farmers.  Their  homes  proved  an  asylum  for  fugitive, 
ill-treated  blacks  from  the  South,  and  thus  both  aided 
and  promoted  that  migration  which  we  have  under  dis- 
cussion. 

Canadian  Migration. — Large  numbers  of  colored  peo- 
ple migrated  in  these  days  even  beyond  the  territorial 
limits  of  the  United  States,  through  Detroit  into  Canada. 
It  is  of  interest  to  note  that  in  the  year  1860  there  were 
over  60,000  Negroes  in  Canada,  15,000  of  whom  were 
free  born. 

Physical  Freedom  vs.  Economical  Freedom. — It  will 
be  seen  that  in  the  exodus  of  Negroes  before  the  Civil 
War,  economic  conditions  did  not  matter.  It  was  merely 
a  question  of  liberty.  Today  those  who  leave  the  South 
do  so  largely  for  better  jobs,  more  money,  enlarged  op- 
portunities, etc. 

There  Is  Alarm  in  the  North  as  Well  as  in  the 
South. — Thus  began  the  great  movement  which  in  our 
day  and  age  has  become  so  extensive  as  to  occasion 
alarm  among  thinking  people  throughout  the  country. 


ROLAND   W.    HAYES,   NOTED   CONCERT   ARTIST. 

(C)   Bachrach. 


ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MIGRATION.  171 

How  some  Negroes  failed  and  some  succeeded,  how 
they  were  liked  and  disliked,  aided  and  degraded,  ap- 
pears in  another  part  of  this  history.  The  thing  to 
remember  is  that  they  wanted  certain  things  badly  enough 
to  go  after  them. 

Migration  in  the  Civil  War. — We  come  now  to  the 
period  of  the  Civil  War.  In  the  beginning,  as  the  Union 
army  advanced,  the  remaining  slaves  were  driven  away, 
freed,  or  turned  back  to  their  owners.  Later  on  they 
were  declared  contraband  of  war  and  put  to  work  build- 
ing fortifications  for  the  Union  army.  In  this  way  slave 
labor  was  gradually  drawn  away  from  the  Confederate 
forces.  The  freedmen  were  concentrated  into  camps, 
their  own  helplessness  and  a  lack  of  care  causing  terrible 
suffering. 

Reconstruction. — From  1865  to  1875  as  many  as  35,- 
ooo  Negroes  followed  the  development  of  the  railroad 
from  Georgia  and  South  Carolina  to  Arkansas  and 
Texas.  This  same  pioneering  movement  has  continued 
slowly  up  until  the  present  day. 

Immediately  After  the  War  there  was  a  return  of 
intelligent,  educated  Northern  Negroes  to  the  South. 
They  came  back  to  carry  on  the  work  they  had  been 
compelled  to  give  up.  This  accounts  for  the  total  dis- 
appearance, in  some  cases,  of  an  entire  Negro  colony 
in  the  North. 

In  the  Spring  of  1879  over  5,000  blacks  left  Missis- 
sippi and  Louisiana  for  the  State  of  Kansas.  This  hap- 
pened in  spite  of  every  effort  on  the  part  of  the  white 
population  to  stop  it.  They  applied  illegal  methods, 
persuaded  steamboat  companies  to  refuse  passage  to  the 
Negroes,  and  in  some  cases  actually  cowed  the  colored 
men  into  staying  at  home.  That  these  measures  failed 
is  seen  by  the  fact  that  in  1880  Kansas  boasted  of  a 


CLARENCE    CAMERON     WHITE,    ONE    OF    THE    GREATEST    VIOLINISTS     THE 
RACE   HAS   EVER  PRODUCED. 


ONE    HUNDRED   YEARS   OF    MIGRATION.  173 

population  of  over  60,000  black  men.  Indian  Territory 
and  other  Western  sections  were  invaded  gradually. 

The  Negro  in  the  Mines. — Labor  agents  at  this  time 
approached  the  Southern  Negro  with  invitations  to  come 
to  the  mountain  States  for  high  wages  at  the  mines. 
That  this  movement  was  extensivfc  is  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  the  Negro  population  in  West  Virginia,  in  1870, 
was  only  17,000,  as  against  64,000  in  1910. 

Here  Are  the  Real  Reasons  Why  the  Negro  Left 
the  South: 

1.  Political  Inequality. — America  fought  the  War  of 
Independence  among  other  reasons  because  of  TAXA- 
TION WITHOUT   REPRESENTATION.     In  prac- 
tically every  State  in  the  South,  even  where  the  Negro 
pays  the  bulk  of  the  taxes,  he  is  legally  or  illegally  denied 
the  right  to  vote. 

2.  Discrimination. — Some   Southern   States  actually 
passed  laws  providing  for  involuntary  servitude  on  the 
part  of  the  Negro  population.     A  pernicious  credit  sys- 
tem made  it  necessary  for  him  to  borrow  money  from 
white  planters,  who  demanded  that  he  work  out  the  debt. 

Lack  of  Educational  Opportunities. — Negroes  paid 
the  taxes  to  support  the  WHITE  SCHOOLS. 

Lynching. — Between  the  years  1866  and  1919  over 
4,000  Negroes  have  been  lynched  in  the  South.  Has 
Germany  any  darker  page  in  the  history  of  her  atrocities  ? 

What  Has  Been  the  Result? — At  one  time  in  the  his- 
tory of  our  country  the  Negro  made  up  over  fifty  per  cent 
of  the  population  IN  SIX  SOUTHERN  STATES.  To- 
day only  Mississippi  and  South  Carolina  have  a  colored 
population  larger  than  the  white.  During  the  last  ten 
years  almost  every  Southern  State  has  had  a  greater 
white  increase  in  population  in  proportion  to  the  black 
increase.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that  through  his  ex- 


H.  COLERIDGE-TAYLOR,  SON  OF  THE  LATE  COLERIDGE  TAYLOR,  CONDUCT- 
ING A  RECITAL  OF  HIS  FATHER'S  COMPOSITIONS  BY  THE  CENTRAL 
LONDON  CHORAL  AND  ORCHESTRAL  SOCIETY,  QUEEN'S  HALL,  LONDON 


ONE    HUNDRED    YEARS    OF    MIGRATION.  175 

tensive  migration  the  Negro  has  lost  his  one  real  oppor- 
tunity for  political  supremacy. 

During  the  World  War. — The  same  conditions  per- 
suaded Negroes  to  leave  the  South  during  the  World 
War.  Floods  and  the  boll  weevil  in  some  cases  caused 
actual  destitution  among  them.  When  on  top  of  all  this 
the  South  was  flooded  with  labor  agents  offering  fabulous 
opportunities  for  the  laboring  man  in  war  industries,  is 
it  any  wonder  that  the  colored  man  left  his  home  for 
the  promised  land?  Of  course  the  majority  of  Negroes 
will  remain  in  the  South.  For  the  first  time  in  history 
Southern  people  are  really  aroused  to  the  danger  of  the 
situation.  They  are  promising  reforms  in  their  efforts  to 
prevent  a  labor  shortage.  It  is  evident,  therefore,  that 
the  movement  will  benefit  not  only  those  that  leave,  but 
those  that  remain. 

It  has  been  said  that  the  Negro  as  a  class  was  restless, 
dissatisfied,  always  wanting  to  be  on  the  move.  Facts 
show  that  this  is  not  the  case.  If  the  Negro  had  ac- 
quired the  white  man's  wanderlust,  his  same  spirit  of 
pioneering  just  a  little  sooner,  he  would  today  be  in  a 
position  to  demand  what  our  Constitution  grants  him: 
life,  liberty  and  the  pursuit  of  happiness. 


MRS.   BOOKER  T.    WASHINGTON. 


(C)    C     M.    B*««-y. 


CHAPTER  X. 

CLUB   WORK  AMONG  NEGRO   WOMEN. 
Written    Expressly    for    this    Work    by    Mrs.    Booker    T.    Washington. 

Until  woman  made  up  her  mind  that  her  efforts  to  help 
in  the  development  of  the  world's  work  were  not  taken 
into  account,  there  was  nothing  among  us  that  could  be 
rightly  called  organization. 

Questions  relating  to  the  home,  the  church,  the  school 
and  the  State  were  all  of  vital  interest  to  woman.  She 
wanted  her  home  pure  and  secure.  She  held  the  church 
as  a  bulwark  against  indecent  living,  immoral  dishonesty, 
in  favor  of  moral  and  spiritual  growth  and  development. 
She  wanted  the  schools  built  upon  high  ground,  including 
in  their  curriculum  lessons  in  manners,  morals  and  living, 
as  well  as  those  of  the  three  R's.  She  wanted  a  citizen- 
ship built  upon  freedom,  not  license,  upon  manly  courage, 
and  not  brute  force. 

Woman  was  Interested  in  the  World  and  its  general 
policies  and  growth,  but  how  to  bring  about  the  thing 
most  desired  was  the  question  with  her.  She  finally 
realized  that  if  she  were  to  be  of  real  service  to  the 
country  of  which  she  is  a  part,  she  must  organize  her 
energies,  her  interest,  and  her  powers,  and  almost  im- 
mediately the  National  Suffrage  Association,  the  National 
Temperance  Association,  the  National  Congress  of 
Mothers,  the  National  Council  of  Women,  the  National 
Federation  of  Women's  Clubs,  and  other  societies  of 
more  or  less  importance  were  thrown  on  the  screen,  and 
the  world  began  to  take  notice. 

The  Colored  Woman,  like  the  others,  was  drifting  on 
in  a  more  or  less  indifferent  way.  She  had  not  realized 


12 


177 


178  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

until  then  that  her  opportunities  had  been  as  great  as 
those  of  other  women :  that  in  the  struggle  which  women 
were  making  for  recognition  in  the  affairs  of  the  world 
and  men,  that  she  was  often  not  thought  of  at  all.  Her 
home  was  insecure,  her  hearthstone  held  lightly,  except 
by  her  own  immediate  family.  Her  church  held  stand- 
ards which  she  could  not  tolerate.  Schools  for  her  chil- 
dren were  too  often  neglected.  Teachers,  with  little  or 
no  education,  with  little  fitness  in  certain  other  direc- 
tions, were  employed,  and  she  came  to  know  and  to 
feel  that  in  the  citizenship  of  her  State  and  country  she 
counted  little. 

~  The  Colored  Woman  is  Conservative,  and  was  slow  to 
believe  that  she  was  not  counted  in ;  slow  to  realize  that 
she  could  not  hope  to  be  taken  into  account,  and  to  keep 
up  with  the  pace  that  other  women  had  set  for  them- 
selves, unless  she  organized  her  efforts  for  social,  moral, 
religious  and  educational  growth,  and  so  forced  the 
world  to  become  acquainted  with  her,  and  to  see  that 
she  is  at  least  interested  in  her  own  welfare,  which 
carries  with  it  an  interest  in  the  welfare  of  all  other 
women. 

-^The  First  National  Meeting. — In  1895,  in  the  city  of 
Boston,  Mass.,  was  called  the  first  National  Body  of 
Colored  Women.  The^£all_\vas  made  by  Mrs.  Josephine 
Saint  Piejre__Jiiiffirj.,  who  had  for  many  years  been  as- 
sociated with  Mrs.  Julia  Ward  Howe,  Susan  B.  Anthony, 
Elizabeth  Cody  Stanton,  and  other  forward  moving 
women,  and  from  whom  she  had  received  the  inspiration 
which  led  her  to  know  and  to  feel  that  what  one  group 
of  organized  women  could  do  another  with  equal  chance 
could  also  do.  For  this  equal  chance  Mrs.  Rurfin  knew 
all  too  well  that  the  colored  women  would  have  to  fight, 
not  separately,  but  together. 


CLUB   WORK   AMONG    NEGRO   WOMEN.  179 

The  colored  women  in  1894  were  suddenly  awakened) 
by  the  wholesale  charges  of  the  lack  of  virtue  and  char- ! 
acter  made  by  a  Missouri  editor  in  an  open  letter  to  an 
English  lady  who  had  manifested  great  interest  in  the 
colored  race  and  in  the  colored  women  particularly. 
Although  apparently  heretofore  quite  willing  to  leave  her 
fate  in  the  hands  of  others,  when  they  heard  of  it,  in- 
stantly woke  up  to  the  situation  and  answered  the  call 
which  Mrs.  Ruffin  made  to  her  to  come  to  Boston  to 
appear  in  public,  to  plead  her  own  cause,  and  to  prove 
to  all  who  wanted  to  know,  to  all  who  were  willing  to 
learn,  to  all  who  had  not  already  made  up  their  minds 
against  her,  and  there  were  hundreds  of  these,  not  only 
in  the  South,  but  everywhere  in  the  North,  who  up  to 
date  had  not  had  the  chance  to  know  anything  whatsoever 
as  to  the  aspirations  of  the  colored  women  who  were 
their  next  door  neighbors. 

Present  Membership  is  300,000.— So  began  the  Amer- 
ican colored  women  to  organize,  so  came  into  shape 
the  _National  Association  of  Colored  Women's  Clubs. 
which  now  has  a  membership  of  over  3OO,ooo_women 
located  in  every  State  in  the  country,  including  Canada, 
Liberia,  Hayti  and  Cuba. 

Mrs.  Josephine  St.  Pierre  Ruffin  will  live  always  in 
the  hearts  of  her  women  as  the  pioneer  who  pointed  the 
way  for  independent  self-development  through  organiza- 
tion. 

Mrs.  Booker  T.  Washington  was  elected  the  first  presi- 
dent and  the  association  under  the  leadership  of  Mrs. 
Mary_jChu£ch__JDeirel.l,  Miss  Elizabeth  Carter,  Mrs.  J. 
Siloame  Yates,  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Talbert,  Miss  Lucy  B. 
Thurman,  and  a  host  of  other  strong,  fine  women,  such 
as  Mrs.  Josephine  Bruce,  Mrs.  Nettie  Langston  Napier, 
Miss  Cornelia  Bowen,  Miss  Nannie  Burroughs,  Miss 


i.     MRS.  MARY  B.  TALBEP.T,  President  National  Assn. 

2.     P.    BRUNEAU.  3.        MRS.   J.    SALONE   YATES. 

4.     MRS.  JOSEPHINE   ST.   P.  RUPFIN. 


CLUB    WORK   AMONG    NEGRO    WOMEN.  181 

Mary—Jackson,  Mrs.  Charlotte  Jilawjdns,  Brown,  who 
stand  ready  always  to  carry  the  plans  laid  down  by  the 
association ;  has  been  able  not  only  to  change  public 
opinion  in  favor  of  the  colored  women,  butjt  has  changed^ 
the  colored  woman's  opinion  of  herself,  her  ability  to  do 
things^  her_strength  to  fortify  herself  against  difficulties, 
which  is  a  far  more  important  thing. 

Mrs.  Marg^B.  Talbert.  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  is  now  the 
presiding  officer  of  the  association,  and  during  the  past 
few  years,  under  her  administration,  great  strides  in  civic 
improvement,  in  the  education  of  women  in  general, 
have  been  made.  Mrs.  Talbert  has  to  her  credit  a  piece 
of  work  which  stands  out  most  prominently:  the  lifting 
of  the  mortgage  upon  the  home  of  Mr.  Frederick  Doug- 
lass at  Anacostia,  in  the  District  of  Columbia.  The  mort- 
gage was  in  the  neighborhood  of  five  thousand  dollars. 
Mrs.  Talbert  raised  this  money  by  traveling  and  speaking 
in  various  cities  under  the  auspices  of  the  club  women 
who  rallied  to  her  appeal  in  the  finest  sort  of  way. 

The  Home  of  Mr.  Douglass  is  now  the  propertv_of_thc 
NaHnnal  jAsgnriafinn  of  Colored  Women.  ajpd^wjll  .be. 
used  as  a  memorial  to^  the  memory  of  Mr.  Douglass  in 
the  same  sense,  and  with  the  same  veneration,  as__is  true 
of  Mr.  Vernon,  set  aside  by  the  national  Government  as 
a  monument  to  George  Washington,  the  father  of  our 
country. 

>One  aim  of  the  colored  club^women. JS-tQjLeach_raca^ 
pride,    race    independence;    and    the    purchase    of    this 
home,  soTbng  occupied  by  our  great  leader,  Mj\_Dpug- 
lass,  ajid  i*g  ppT-marifnt  maintenance,  is  a  great  step  in 
achieving_thij^endj  and  if  our  national  president  does., 
not  accomplish  anything  else,  she  has  done  enough  by 
this  one  effort  to  put  every  other  woman  in  the  race 
in  her  debt  all  the  years'  that  are  to  come. 


182  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

Mrs.  Rosetta  Sprague.  the  only  daughter  of  Mr.  Doug- 
lass" during  her  life  was  a  leading  spirit  in  the  club  work 
in  the__city_J3f  Washington,  and  it  was  the  love  and 
gratitude  which  the  women  held  for  Mrs.  Sprague,  as 
well  as  that  they  were  anxious  to  show  their  regard  for 
her  father,  that  made  them  respond  in  this  practical 
manner  toward  this  memorial. 

Works  Through  Departments. — The  national  as- 
sociation does  its  work  through  departments,  and  these 
carry  on  the  work  through  individual  clubs.  The  lead- 
ing departments  are:  Woman  Suffrage,  Patriotism, 
Education,  Conditions  in  Rural  Life,  Music,  Literature 
and  Art,  Gainful  Occupation  and  Business,  Better  Rail- 
road Conditions,  Mothers'  Meetings  and  Night  Schools, 
Health  Conditions,  Child  Welfare  and  Public  Speaking, 
etc. 

The  School  Question. — How  many  people  realize  that 
even  today  in  many  parts  of  the  country  the  school  term 
for  the  colored  child  is  not  more  than  four  months  in  a 
year  ?  H^o_wjriaj].y_pejQple-iiL42iaking  up  their  opinion  as  to 
the  colored  woman  and__h_er  people  stop_to_cpnsider  in 
^their  comparison  that  the  children  with  whom  the  stitch- 
is  made  are  in  schooLoftenJien  months  irMihejrear,  and 
that  such  conditions  are  unfair  and  un-American,  and 
'^sboner'or  later  colored  children,  not  being  given  a  square 
deal  for  growth  and  all  around  citizenship,  will  becormTa 
jnenace  anff^~hurderi^to  the  community  in  which  they 
jive?  No  question  today~Ts  of  so  viral  affniterest  to  the 
colored  woman's  club  as  this  one  which  deals  with  the 
schools  and  the  general  educational  advantages  for  their 
children  and  those  of  their  sister  club  workers. 

The  Department  of  Education  has  been  the  one  most 
thoroughly  organized  because  it  is  that  upon  which  all 
others  are  obliged  to  depend  for  growth.  Our  pioneer 


MISS    CLEOTA   J.   COLLINS,    NOTED   LYRIC   SOPRANO   OF   COLUMBUS,   OHIO. 


184  1'KOGKESS    01-'    A    RACK. 

women  were  amongst  the  chosen  of  the  earth,  and  at 
the  head  stand  the  following: 

Frances  Ellen  Watkins  Harper,  Mary  A.  Shadd, 
Fanny  Jackson  Coppm  and  T^harlotte  Fortem  Grimke. 
long  since  numbered  with  those  who  have  passed  into  the 
beyond.  They  will  always  be  remembered  as  pioneers 
in  the  education  of  the  children  of  their  own  race. 

Mrs.  Harper  visited  every  Southern  State,  speaking  in 
colleges,  schools,  churches,  and  even  going  from  home 
to  home,  on  the  subject  of  Education,  Temperance. 
Homemaking,  Honesty,  Morality,  and  all  that  werifT  to 
make  up  an  intelligent  citizenship.  She  was  most  deeply 
interested  in  her  women  and  held  many  meetings  ex- 
clusively for  them. 

.  Mjs<_  Harper  was^  the  first  superintendent  of  colored 
workers  of  the  Woman's  Christian  Temperance  Union. 
She  was  one  of  the  directors  of  the  Women's  Congress 
of  the  United  States,  and  so  was  doubly  fitted  to  help 
her  own  women  in  the  higher  ideals  of  living. 

The  following  lines  indicate  the  faith  Mrs.  Harper 
had  in  the  future  of  the  success  of  her  race: 

';  "There  is  light  beyond  the  darkness, 

Joy  beyond  the  present  pain ; 
There  is  hope  in  God's  great  justice 

And  the  Negro's  rising  brain. 
Tho'  the  morning  seems  to  linger 

O'er  the  hilltops  far  away, 
Yet  the  shadows  bear  the  promise 

Of  a  brighter  coming  day." 

Jffirs.JFanny  Jackson  Goppin  was  a  native  of  the  Dis- 
trict of  Columbia.  She  received  her  training  at  Oberlin. 
Ohio.  Immediately  after  her  graduation  she  went  to 
Philadelphia,  Pa.,  and  organized  what  is  now  known  as 
the  Cheyney  Training  School  for  Teachers,  which  in- 
stitute was  presided  over  by  her  for  nearly  thirty  years. 


CLUB    WORK    AMONG    NEGRO    WOMEN.  185 

and  was  then  known  as  the  Institute  for  Colored  Youth. 

Mrs.  Coppin  wa&  an  early  advocate  of  industrial  edu- 
cation, and  made  it  an  important  item  in  building  up 
that  institution. 

No  woman  in  any  race  has  been  a  greater  credit  to 
its  standards  of  education  than  has  Mrs.  Coppin  to  her 
race.  Her  executive  ability  was  recognized  by  both^men 
and  women  of  prominence  as  being  far  above  the  ordi- 
nary'and  hundreds  of  young  colored  men  and  women  all 
over  the  country,  South  as  well  as  North,  call  her  blessed 
because  she  inspired  them  for  an  education  and  to  higher 
ideals  of  living. 

Dorothy  H.  Greene. — In  these  later  days  one  does  not 
as  often  find  women  willing  to  consecrate  themselves  so 
absolutely  to  the  great  cause  of  education  as  the  three 
mentioned  above,  but  here,  in  our  midst  recently,  I  came 
upon  a  woman  who  can  certainly  be  classed  with  the 
most  devoted  of  teachers,  Dorothy  H.  Greene  she  is 
called  ;  ajrraduate_pf  Selma  University^ 

Miss  Greene  is  a  great  lover  of  children,  the  smaller 
the  better,  the  poorer  the  more  she  loves  them.  The 
first  year  after  her  graduation  she  was  employed  at  her 
Alma  Mater.  This  in  itself  is  an  indication  of  her 
superiority  as  a  young  woman. 

Miss  Greene  was  not  long  in  discovering  that  at  the 
university  she  was  helping  and  teaching  only  the  children 
of  the  well  to  do,  and  at  the  end  of  the  first  year  she 
gave  up  the  comforts  at  the  university  and  went  into  a 
most  neglected  district  of  alarge  Southern  city,  a  neigh- 
borhood''^ here  mother^were  so  poor  that  tbey^jwere 
obliged  to  leave  their  little  ones  daily  and  go  out  to 
either  help  make  the  bread  they  ate,  or  to  make  it 
entirely. 

There  can  be  no  more  inspiring  sight  than  to  see  this 


186  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

good  woman,  still  young,  giving  up  herself  absolutely  to 
the  care,  not  only  of  the  minds  of  these  children  undei 
her  care,  but  to  their  bodies  also.  They  have  little  or 
no  other  care  except  as  she  gives  it. 

Tribute  to  White  Club  Workers.— Dorothy  Greene 
attributes  much  of  her  success  to  the  kindness  of  two 
helpfully  sympathetic  white  club  women  of  the  city  in 
which  she  works ;  and  here  let  us  pay  our  gratitude  to 
many  white  club  women  all  over  the  country  who  stand 
ready  to  co-operate  with  us  in  every  good  cause  of  our 
educational  advancement. 

The  following  shows  in  what  esteem  one  well  known 
white  person,  at  least,  holds  our  work :  "Of  all  the  con- 
ventions that  have  met  in  the  country  this  summer,  there 
is  none  that  has  taken  hold  of  the  business  in  hand  with 
more  good  sense  and  judgment  than  the  National  Federa- 
tionof  Colored  \yomen's  Clubs  now  assembled  in  this 
city  (Chicago).  The  subjects  brought  up,  the  matter 
of  their  treatment,  and  the  decisions  reached  exhibit  wide 
and  appreciative  knowledge  of  problems  confronting  the 
colored  people,"  and  so  makes  it  possible  for  us  to  take 
courage  and  to  press  forward  as  women  having  our  own 
cause  to  fight  not  entirely  alone. 

Many  women  in  the  South,  with  their  friends,  and 
often  in  the  North,  are  inclined  to  mistrust  the  interests, 
of  their  Northern  club  sisters,  but  there  are  many  whose 
efforts  cannot  be  doubted  for  one  moment,  for  from  the 
very  beginning  of  our  career  asjjrganized  club  workers, 
which  was  really  begun  by  a  Northern  woman  and  aided 
largely  for  years  by  others,  certain  Northern  women  have 
stood  always  bravely  in  the  front.  Miss  Maria  Baldwin, 
Miss  Lucy  K_Motpn,  M^*  ^-lizabfrtVjjgl^J^j^  Mary 
Jackson,  and  a  host  of  others  who  have  had  great  oppor- 
tunity for  education  and  leadership,  have  never  tired  of 


CLUB   WORK   AMONG   NEGRO    WOMEN.  187 

Avorking  to  bring  our  cause  before  the  country  and  to 
insist  upon  the  recognition  of  other  colored  women  less 
fortunate  than  themselves. 

"Master"  Baldwin. — Miss  Baldwin  was  born  and 
educated  in  Cambridge,  Mass.  In  1882  she  was  given  a 
position  as  grade  teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  her 
home  city.  For  seven  years  she  did  her  duty  as  a  teacher 
faithfully  and  well,  and  was  then  made  principal,  and  for 
nearly  thirty-five  years  Miss  Baldwin's  position  as  prin- 
cipal of  one  of  the  largest  and  most  influential  schools  in 
Cambridge  has  been  unquestioned. 

Four  years  ago  the  Agassiz  was  torn  down  and  a 
building  costing  in  the  neighborhood  of  $60,000  was  put 
in  its  place.  Miss  Baldwin  still  held  her  position,  and 
was  then  known  as  "Master  Baldwin."  There  is  one 
other  woman  master  in  the  Cambridge  schools.  This  is  a 
position  of  more  than  ordinary  distinction.  Her  school  is 
attended  by  children  of  the  most  advanced  families  of 
Cambridge,  including  those  of  Harvard  professors. 
Twelve  teachers  worked  under  Principal  Baldwjn,  and 
more  than  four  hundred  boys  and  girls  attended  daily  up 
to  the  time  of  her  sudden  death  on  January  9,  1922. 

The  Massachusetts  school's  principal  did  her  work  so 
well  that  it  has  led  the  authorities  in  that  State,  and  in 
other  Northern  States,  to  appoint  many  colored^women 
in  the  schoQls_of_the  North  and  to  give  them  the  recogni- 
tion their  training  deserves. 

Miss  Baldwin  was  a  lecturer  also  of  no  mean  ability. 
She  was  the  first  woman  of  any  race  to  give  the  annual 
Washington's  Birthday  memorial  address  before  the 
Brooklyn,  N.  Y.,  Institute.  Her  subject  was  "The  Life 
and  Service  of  the  late  Harriet  Beecher  Stowe." 

The  Brooklyn  Eagle  commented  in  the  following 
manner  upon  the  address :  "She  is  a  type  quite  as  ex- 


18e>  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

traordinary  in  one  way  as  Booker  T  Washington  is  in 
another.  Her  English  is  pure  and  felicitous,  her  manner 
reposeful,  and  her  thoughts  and  sympathies  strong  and 
deep,  etc." 

E.  Carter,  of  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  has 


for  years  been  the  only  colored  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  of  that  city,  and  has  been  one  of  the  most  honored 
of  teachers.  The  past  year  she  resigned  her  position  to 
take  up  Y.  W.  C.  A.  work  in  the  city  of  Washington, 
D.  C. 

Miss  Carter  was  for  years  the  recording  secretary  of 
thenaflonaTassociation,  and  to  her  credit  is  now  a  very 
accurate  statement  of  work  done  by  the  organization 
and  its  individual  clubs. 

Miss  Carter  early  organized  the  women  in  the  north- 
eastern """dTstricts,  and  so  well  has  she  led  the  women 
throughout  that  part  of  the  country  that,  although  for 
the  past  two  years  she  has  been  living  in  the  District  of 
Columbia  doing  Y.  W.  C.  A.  work,  they  have  borne  her 
expenses  back  and  forth  to  New  Bedford,  Mass.,  once 
every  month,  so  that  they  might  still  have  her  counsel 
and  the  inspiration  which  comes  from  her  presence. 

In  her  part  of  the  country  Miss  Carter  took  a  deep 
interest  in  the  large  number  of  women  and  their  hus- 
bands and  children  who  went  up  from  the  South  two  or 
three  years  ago  to  seek  better  living  conditions.  The 
club  jaoatnen  jinder  her  leadership—  went  in  person  to 
officials  everywhere  ajnd_jecured  better  homes  for  thesg_ 

for  their  children. 


Miss  Carter  iJTtEeorganizer  and  head  of  one  of  the 
best  equipped  and  well  conducted  old  folks'  homes  now 
represented  in  the<  National  Association  of  Clubs. 

She  was  for  four  years  the  president  of  the  associa- 
tion, and  during  her  administration  the  women  of  the 


CLUB    WORK    AMONG    NEGRO    WOMEN.  189 

North  and  South  were  cemented  as  never  before.  We 
all  came  to  feel  that  our  cause  was  not  sectional,  but 
one  big,  strong  fight  of  an  undivided  citizenship. 

Lucy  H.  Moten. — -In  the  early  years  of  our  work  Miss 
Lucy  H.  Moten  was  making  her,  home  in  the  city  of 
Washington,  D.  C.  Mrs.  Cook  of  that  city  had  many 
years  before  carried  on  work  for  and  with  women.  There 
was  a  chain  of  a  dozen  or  more  clubs  which  did  much  of 
the  charitable  work  of  the  district.  Miss  Moten  was 
working  in  this  chain  as  an  individual  much  of  the 
time.  She  had  by  force  of  character  and  effort  graduated 
from  the  Normal  School  at  Salem,  Mass. 

Soon  after  returning  to  Washington  from  school  she 
was  made  principal  of  what  was  known  as  the  Miner 
Normal  School.  Miss  Moten  assumed  the  position  in 
the  face  of  the  opposition  of  her  own  friends.  This 
school  is  the  outgrowth  of  a  work  begun  before  the  war 
by  a  young  white  woman  who  gave  up  social  life  and 
worked  continuously  through  the  war  times  and  even 
afterwards  so  that  we  might  have  the  advantages  of 
training,  and  finally  take  our  place  in  the  world's  affairs. 

The  Miner  Normal  School  has,  under  Miss  Moten, 
added  to  its  course  of  study,  has  grown  from  two  teachers 
to  twelve  or  fifteen.  The  enrollment  when  Miss  Moten 
began  the  work  was  the  unlucky  number  thirteen.  It  is 
now  nearly  two  hundred.  Hundreds  of  young  women 
all  over  the  country  owe  their  success  as  teachers  to  the 
strong  determination  of  Miss  Moten,  to  make  the  courses 
for  teachers  in  her  school  just  as  efficient  and  broad  as 
those  in  the  very  best  schools  of  the  country. 

Tribute  to  the  "  Friends.  "—Here  we  want  to  pay 
tribute  to  the  consecrated  efforts  of  a  white  woman  in  the 
interest  of  her  sisters  in  black,  and  particularly  to  the 
people  called  "Friends"  scattered  throughout  the  North, 


190  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

who  were  amongst  the  very  first  white  people  of  the 
country  to  give  of  their  money,  their  strength,  and  even 
their  very  lives  toward  helping  thejcolored  people_put  of 
the  darkness  into  the  light.  They  stand  even  today  at 
the  head  of  the  list  in  sympathetic  interest  and  co-oper- 
ation in  all  that  makes  for  the  highest  and  best  develop- 
ment of  a  race  behind  in  the  race  of  life  because  of  its 
late  starting. 

Mrs.  Lucy  Thurman. — The  Woman's  ChngUajaJTeni^ 
perance  Union  was  the  early_light  for  us.  Mrs.  Lucv 
Thurman,  of  Jackson,  Mich.^was  appointed  by  Frances 
Willard  as  the  sgcond  colored_  woman  in  charge  of  the 
department  for  colored  work  in  the  W.  C.  T.  U.,  and  for 
twenty  yearsMrs._Thurman  was^held  in  the  jiighest 
esteem  by  Miss  Willard  and  her  associates  because  of  her 
good  sense  and  tact  in  handling  a  situation  often  delicate 
and  difficult. 

^Mrs.  Thurman_  lived  in  Jackson,  Mich.,  but  there  is 
scarcely  a  hamlet  anywhere  in  the  South  where  she  is 
not  now  remembered,  even  though  she  has  passed 
into  the  beyond.  The  women  in  her  city  were  organized 
under  her  inspiration.  _She  was  a  platform  speaker  of 
great  personality  andfprce,  not  only  when  she  spoke  on 
"the  exciting  question  ^riemperance,  but  also  when^she 
advised  organization,  gettin^^togetherj^standing^firmly 
togedTef  for  HorneT  liTeTjor  church  life,  for  school,  and 
hnally  for  ~bur  position  as  women_to__be_j;eckoned  with 
nrThe" great  advance  _which  women  everywhere  are 
making! 

Mrs.  Thurman  was  at  one  time  our  national  president, 
serving  one  term  only,  but  she  drew  all  women  to  her, 
and  it  often  appeared  as  she  stood  pleading  our  cause 
that  she  was  saying  as  the  Master  Himself  said :  "And 
I,  if  I  be  lifted  up,  will  draw  all  men  unto  Me." 


MARY   CHURCH    TERRELL. 
CHARLOTTE  HAWKINS  BROWN. 


MRS.  SYLVANIA  F.  WILLIAMS. 
MRS.   JOSEPHINE   B.   BRUCE. 


102  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACK. 

Mrs.  Thurman  was  .a_jnost_religious  \vojnaji,  and  we 
who  stood  by  her  side  and  worked  with  her  were  often 
put  to  shame  by  her  faith  in  the  final  justice  of  man  and 
in  the  everlasting  condemnation  by  the  Father  of  us  all, 
for  the  man  farthest  up  who  would  discredit  the  one 
farthest  down. 

Associated  with  Mrs.  Thurman  in  her  work  through- 
out the  country  were  Mrs.  Helen  Cook,  of  Washington, 
D.   C,  and   Mrs.   Elizabeth   McCoy,   of   Detroit,   Mich. . 
/IMrs.  McCoy  was  jhef ounder  of  the  Detroit  Old_Folks'  ]/ 
yTHpirie  and  was   for  many  years  the  president  of   thlr 
Society  of  ^Willing  Workers.  _This  club  was  the  pioneer 
club  of  the  colored  women_pf  thp  .State  nf  Mjrhjgari. 
and  perhaps  nowhere  have  we  as  women  found  a  cleaner 
atmospHeft;-  fur  advancement  tfian  in  thehome  Stateof 
"Mrs.  l'hurman,largely_because~~of  her^fine_and  noble 
spirit,  her  lack  of  bitterness  and  jier^jtrong  Christian 
sjnriF  oTliope,  and  her  abiding  faith_in  one  man  and 
jwoman  toward  other  men  and  women. 

The  National' Association. — Out  of  these  beginnings 
came  our  National  Association  of  Colored  Women's 
^Clubs,  which  is  to  us  what  the  general  federation  of  white 
women's  clubs  is  to  them.  The  names  were  the  same  at 
first,  but  people  got  us  mixed  so  often  that  we  finally 
decided  to  call  our  federation  an  association. 

A  large  group  of  women  stand  out  in  the  forefront  in 

no  small  way  as  leaders  in  this  forward  and  progressive 

Afield,  of  the  .colored  woman's  organized  efforts  in  her  own 

behalf — Mrs.   Josephine    St.    Pierre   Ruffin,   of    Boston. 

Mass.,  who  called  the  first  national  gathering  of  colored 

jvomen;  Mrs^Mary  Church  TejxeU.  of  Washington,  D. 

C. ;  the  late  Mrs._J_.  Siloame^Yates^.  of  Kansas  City,  Mo. ; 

^Miss  Elizabeth  Carter^nf  New  Bedford^  Mass^j  the  late 

Mrs.  Lucy  Thurman,  of  Jackson,  Mich;  Mrs.  Mary~B. 


CLUB   WORK  AMONG   NEGRO   WOMEN.  193 

JTalbert  of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  our  present  leader;  Mrs. 
Nettie  Langston  Napier,  of  Nashville,  Tenn. ;  Mrs.  Mary 
E.  Steward,  of  Louisville,  Ky. ;  Mrs.  Mary  Josenberger, 
of  Fort  Smith,  Ark. ;  Mrs.  Mary  Bethune,  of  Daytona, 
Fla. ;  and  hundreds  of  others  whose  names  cannot  be 
mentioned  in  a  short  article  of  this  nature. 

Six  of  these  women  have  held  the  position  of  presid- 
ing officers,  and  to  them  and  to  their  followers  belong 
the  honor  of  our  present  standing  and  success  in  club 
circles. 

//  jColored  women's  clubs  do  their  work  through  depart- 
/mentsTbecausewe  feeHhat irrthi^way~rmlcl7more  effec- 
;  /  tive  work  may  be  done.  Our  various  interest^  are 
/  expressed  in  the_DegaTtments_of  Suffrage,  Anti-Lynch- 
jng.  Mothers'  Meetings,  Education,  Railroad  Travel,  the 
I  Country  Woman's  Position,  Health,  Business,  Literature 
and  Art,  Night  Schools,  etc. 

We  work  in  co-operation  with  all  other  movements 
of  both  men  and  women  of  the  race :  the  National  Asso- 
ciation for  the^Adyancement  of  Colored  People,,  the 
Urban  League,  the  Negr6~Business  Men's  League,  and 
we  lay  our  plans  along  the  general  lines  of  advance  as 
those  of  the  General  Federation  of  White  Women's 
Clubs,  leaving  out,  of  course,  their,  .highly— social  side 
andjpaying  immediate  "attention  to  the  more  practical 
and  needful  things  of  our  homes  and  civic  life  as  cir- 
cumstances in  our  country  force  upon  us. 

Suffrage. — JColored  women,  quite  as  much  as  colored 
men,  realize  that  if  there  is  ever  to  be  equal  justice  and 
fair  play  in  the  protection  in  the  courts  everywhere  for  all 
races,  then  there  must  be  an  equal  chance  for  all  women 
as  well  as  men  to  express  their  preference  through  their 
votes.  There  are  certain  things  so  sure  to  come  our 
way  that  time  in  arguing  them  is  not  well  spent.  It  is 


u 


CLUB    WORK   AMONG    NEGRO    WOMEN.  195 

simply  the  cause  of  right  which  in  the  end  always  con- 
quers, no  matter  how_fierce  the  opposition.  Efitsonally, 
woman  suffrage  has  never  kept  me  jiwajce  at  night,  but 
I  "arrT  sure  Beforejyijscountry  is  able  to  take  its  place 
amongst  the  great  democraticfriations  of  the  earth  it  has 
got  to  come  to  the  place  where  it  is  willing  to  trusFltT 
citizens,  black  as  well  as  white,  women  as  well  as  men, 
to  be  loyal  to  their  Government,  to  be  willing  to  leave  the 
carrying  out  of  governmental  offices  to  the  intelligent 
part  of  the  citizenship.  Our  Department  of  Suffrage 
conducts  training  classes  in  the  Constitution  of  the  coun- 
try, and  has  given  time  to  the  study  of  all  governmental 
affairs,  so  that  women  may  be  prepared  to  handle  the 
vote  intelligentlyand  wisely  when  it  comes  to  thetn. 
Thousands  of  our  women  vote  in  the  Ijorthern  States 
where  they  live,  and  in  no  instance  have  they  shown  any 
disposition  to  assume  control  of  affairs,  nor  have  they 
presumed  anything  more  than  a  desire  to  be  counted  as  a 
citizen  of  a  country  where  they  are  giving  the  best  of 
themselves  in  building  better  homes,  better  schools,  better 
churches,  and  finally  better  citizenship.^^ 

"Anti  Lynching." — -pur  club  women  work  inces- 
santly to  help  mould  sentiment  against  lynching,  and 
although  it  is  a  slow  process,  there  is  a  strong  and  grow- 
ing feeling  against  this  form  of  punishment  for  any 
cause  whatsoever. 

The  Georgia  State  Federation  of  White  Women's 
Clubs  in  their  last  convention  came  out  strongly  in  favor 
of  law  and  order  as  against  mob  violence  and  lynching. 
When  the  Women's  State  Federation  of  other  Southern 
States  take  a  stand  against  this  evil,  the  men  in  authority 
in  these  States  will  see  that  lynching  is  put  down  and 
not  until  then  will  it  be  done.  It  is  woman's  work  now 
as  always. 


196  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

Not  long  after  these  women  took  this  position  a  lead- 
ing judge  in  that  State  gave  to  the  jury  this  charge: 
"He  who  arrogates  to  himself  the  authority  to  enforce 
the  law  without  the  sanction  of  the  law  is  an  enemy  to 
the  law  and  to  civilization.  Any  set  of  men  who  take 
upon  themselves  to  punish  a  human  being,  whether  they 
should  be  meted  out  the  punishment  which  the  outraged 
law  would  impose  upon  them,  or  whether  they  escape  on 
account  of  a  false  public  sentiment,  will  bear  throughout 
their  lives  the  mark  of  Cain  upon  their  brows." 

What  a  charge  to  a  Georgia  jury !  The  leading  paper 
in  that  State,  and  one  of  the  leading  papers  in  the  entire 
South,  follows  this  charge  in  the  following  terms  of  warn- 
ing :  "If  the  evil  of  jnob  law  is  not  stamped  out  by  the 
law-abiding  element  of  our  population,  the  time  is  in- 
evitably coming  when  the  strong  arm  of  the  Federal 
Government  will  do  what  the  State  either  fails  or  refuses 
to  do  by  the  exercise  of  its  own  power  and  jurisdiction." 
Lynching  must  cease  in  a  State  where  there  is  a  strong 
public  sentiment  against  it,  and  women  need  only  to  keep 
up  thejight. 

Public  sentiment  for  law  and  order,  for  decent  living, 
is  kept  before  the  race  by  various  devices  of  the  clubs: 
Welfare  Work,  Traveler's  Aid  Work,  Practical  Mission, 
Protective  League,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  organizations,  reform 
schools,  rescue  homes,  and  by  small  private  schools. 

Our  clubs  realize  that  to  eyery^guestion  therejsjnore 

/  than  one   side.   andjJTgt   we   rrmsj^advncatq  a  spntirngnt 

amongst  our  own  people  for  the  sacredness  of  woman- 


_hood.  for  decent  living  and  for  regard  for  law  and  order 


in  the  smallest_d£taiU_and  so  through  our  various  de- 
partments we_co-operate  with  alTwomen  toward  bringing 
about  that  sentiment  which  will  make  us  all  happiqr  and  / 
more  useful  to  the  community  we 


CLUB   WORK   AMONG   NEGRO   WOMEN.  19? 

Mrs.  John  Hope,  of  Atlanta,  Ga.,  has  been  able  in  her 
club  work  to  show  that  with  the  proper  training  in  the 
homes,  men's  ideals  will  change.  She  has  conducted 

^^••4 — 

for  years  a  club  where  women  are  taught  how  to  direct 
the  education  of  their  boys  and  girls.  The  white  women 
in  Atlanta  have  been  of  great  service  to  Mrs.  Hope  in 
all  of  her  work. 

Mrs._Harris  Barrett,  now  the  president  of  the  State 
Federation  of  yirginia,  stands  as  the  organizer  and  head 
of  one  of  the  finest  pieces  of  club  work  done  by  any_ 
colored  woman.    A  farm  of  a  hundred  acres  of  land  for 
$5,200  was  purchased  more  than  ten  years  ago. 

So  well  and  so  unselfishly  have  Mrs.  Barrett  and  her 
followers  given  themselves  to  the  cause  of  the  untrained, 
wayward  and  unfortunate  girls  of  Virginia  that  the  State 
at  large,  especially  the  white  citizens,  both  men  and 
women,  have  given  every  assistance  in  money,  in  time, 
and  in  practical  sympathy  and  advice  to  these  colored 
club  women. 


Here  is  a  real  home,  and  a  real  school,  girls  learning 
to  care  for  a  home,  and  going  through  the  first  four  or 
eight  grades  required  in  the  ordinary  public  schools  of 
the  State. 

Two  years  ago  these  thirty  girls  raised  thirty  bushels 
of  peas,  sixty-five  bushels  of  potatoes,  fifty  bushels  of 
corn,  whitewashed  the  trees  on  the  place,  the  corn  cribs, 
shells,  barns,  etc.,  built  one  hundred  and  fifty  feet  of 
walkway,  one-fourth  of  a  mile  of  roadway  and  graveled 
it,  cleared  forty  acres  of  land  of  brush,  put  in  posts 
for  two  hundred  feet  of  fence,  built  five  gates,  cut  ten 
cords  of  wood,  put  in  flooring  in  a  shed,  built  a  hen 
house,  and  at  the  same  time  carried  on  their  regular 
studies  and  did  their  daily  tasks  of  homekeeping  and 
homemaking. 


198  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

Who  can  doubt  that  the  majority  of  these  young  girls 
will  be  fully  developed,  trained  and  sustained  to  be  wives 
and  mothers  of  a  wise  and  Christian  type,  who  will  give 
back  to  the  State  of  Virginia,  not  in  dollars  and  cents, 
but  in  real  substantial  character  and  living,  every  dollar 
spent  upon  them,  and  who  will  in  the  years  of  the  future 
take  the  place  of  usefulness  now  held  by  Mrs.  Barrett 
qnd  her  club  followers. 

The  Mt.  Meigs,  Ala.,  Reformatory  for  Colored  Boys 
is  within  a  stone's  throw  of  the  capitol  of  the  State. 
Fifteen  years  ago  it  was  founded  and  carried  for  years 
by  the  women  of  the  .Alabama — State  Federation  of. 
Colored  Women.  There  were  forty  or  fifty  small  boys, 
now  there  are  in  the  neighborhood  of  three  hundred 
young  boys,  ranging  from  seven  to  sixteen  years  of  age. 

Four  women  stand  out  prominently  in  this  work, 
Miss  Cornelia  Bowen,  who  for  more  than  twelve  years 
was  the  president  of  the  federation,  Mrs.  Lillian  Dungee. 
Chairman  of  the  Building  Committee,  Mrs.  Agnes  Jen- 
kins Lewis,  the  corresponding  secretary,  and  Mrs.  Irene 
Hudson,  the  present  secretary. 

Just  now  the  Alabama  Federation  of  Colored  Women's 

.Clubs  is  erecting  a  rescue  home  for  small  girls  of  the 

State.     The  foundation  has  been  dug,  the  material  has 

been  laid  down,  and  three  thousand  dollars  to  complete 

the  building  of  it  is  in  the  bank. 

White  people  in  Alabama,  both  men  and  women  in 
all  the  walks  of  life,  from  the  highest  State  official,  have 
helped  in  a)}  this  work,  and  are  still  co-operating  with 
it  in  the  finest  spirit  possible. 

These  are  real  schools  for  the  children  and  not  merely 
workhouses  and  houses  of  correction.  The  course  of 
study  for  the  Reformatory  for  Boys  is  made  out  by  the 
State  Superintendent  of  Education,  and  Alabama  de- 


CLUB   WORK   AMONG    NEGRO    WOMEN.  199 

serves  the  credit  and  honor  which  its  colored  citizens  give 
it  for  the  interest  which  it  takes  in  developing  that  part 
of  its  youthful  citizens  most  neglected  through  lack  of 
parental  care. 

£lub  work  amongst  colored  women  has  developed  the 
women  themselves  and  has  led  them  into  fields  of  use- 
f  illness  which  they  would  never  have  dared  enter. 

Mrs^Mary  Bethune  is  now  the  president  of  the 


in  Florida.  More  than  twelve  years  ago  she  went  through 
the  public  schools  of  South  Carolina,  graduating  from 
Scotia  Seminary  in  North  Carolina,  and  attended  the 
Moody  Bible  Institute.  She  began  a  small  work  at  Day- 
tona,  Fla.,  with  only  five  small  girls  and  not  many  more 
dollars. 

She  now  controls  more  than  twenty  acres  of  land. 
There  is  just  completed  an  auditorium  costing  $40,000. 
Mrs.  Bethune  has  also  been  able  to  fit  her  school  into 
the  life  of  its  community  in  a  very  definite  way.  More 
than  a  thousand  patients  have  been  cared  for  in  her  small 
but  finely  equipped  hospital. 

Mrs.  Charlotte  Hawkins  Brown,  one  of  the  secre- 
taries of  the  national  association,  came  into  the  State  of 
North  Carolina  and  located  at  a  little  town  ten  miles 
from  Greensboro  —  Sedalia,  they  call  it. 

The  people  were  in  debt,  their  homes  were  neglected. 
and  the  women  were  discouraged.  This  little  woman 
went  to  work  with  the  women  of  Sedalia.  They  caught 
her  spirit  and  soon  the  entire  community  was  made  over  — 
carefully  dressed  children  entered  the  schoolroom  ;  men 
and  women  begun  to  lift  the  burden  of  debt  they  had 
carried  so  long.  The  little  community  with  its  new  school, 
its  Sunday  school,  its  church,  etc.,  has  taken  on  new  life. 

Mrs.  Brown  a  few  months  ago  was  invited  to  speak 
before  the  most  cultured  white  women's  clubs  in  Greens- 
boro, N.  C. 


200  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 


Cornelia  Bowen,  of  Waugh,  Ala.,  JMJss  Georgia 
Washington,  of  Mt.  Meigs,  Ala.,  MissjJannie  Burroughs, 
of  Lincoln  Heights,  Washington,  D.  C,  all  owe  their  dis- 
tinction to  their  long  and  useful  affiliation  with  the  cjiib 
movement  of  their  own  women. 


yy.Mis_ 
Vvjional 


Burroughs  organized  and  conducts  the  only  vocar  \ 


ional  school  for  colored  women  in  the  world. 

She  writes  and  speaks  with  about  the  same  force  and 
eloquence  as  she  conducts  her  remarkable  school. 

Miss  Burroughs  originated  the  Negro  Picture  Calendar, 
a  collection  of  pictures  of  homes  and  incidents  in  the 
lives  of  her  people.  Truly,  it  can  be  said  of  her,  still  a 
young  woman,  she  has  come  from  the  bottom  of  the 
ladder,  and  with  the  spirit  of  our  motto,  "Lifting  as  she 
climbs,"  she  is  still  going  up. 

-        Other  fields  than  that  of   teaching,  social  uplift  and 
welfare  have  been  enteredjxy_pur  club  women. 


-  ^  Othe 
\welfare 
STOTrs. 


Addie  N.  Dickerspn,  of  Philadelphia,  in  charge 
of  our  Department  of  Law,  is  a  notary  public,  and  her 
sign  hangs  just  below  that  of  her  husband,  who  is  one 
of  Philadelphia's  best  known  lawyers.  All  of  the  law 
business  of  our  association  has  been  handled  by  Mrs. 
Dickerson.  The  State  Federation  of  Pennsylvania,  of 
which  Mrs.  Ruth  Bennett  is  president,  holds  Mrs.  Dicker- 
son  in  high  regard. 

Miss  CarlotteRaywas  a  graduate  of  Harvard  Uni- 
versity, and  was  the  first  colored  woman  lawy_er\  As 
early  as  j822,Miss  Ray  had  completed  her  course  m  law, 
giving  to  her  sisters  of  lesser  opportunity  the  advantages 
of  her  experience  and  training.  She  was  with  the  associa- 
tion in  all  of  its  interests. 

The  business  career  of  women,  although  not  very 
large,  has  been  developed  through  their  contact  with  club 
life. 


ANNIE   M.  POPE   MALONE,   WHO  OWNS   AND   OPERATES   A  $50,OOO  FAC- 
TORY   AT    ST.    LOUIS,    MO. 


202  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

A  half  dozen,  perhaps,  of  our  women  have  done  re- 
markably well  in  certain  lines  of  business.  The  late  Mrs. 
J>arah  Walker,  of  Indianapolis  and  New  York,  Mrs. 
Annie  Pope  JMa-l°ne>  of  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  Mrs.  Maggie 
WaJ&er,  of  Richmond,,  Va.,  and  Mrs.  Mary  Josenberger. 
of  Ft.  Smith,  Ark.,  are  amongst  the  list. 

Madame  Walker,  as  she  was  known  to  her  club  friends, 
was,  at  her  death,  which  occurred  only  a  few  months  ago, 
worth  a  million  dollars.  She  began  her  business,  that  of 
a  beauty  specialist,  fourteen  or  fifteen  years  ago,  with 
no  capital  worth  speaking  of.  In  fact,  the  first  earnings 
with  which  to  begin  her  work  were  made  at  the  most 
ordinary  work.  Club  women  everywhere_rallied  to  her. 
and  she  with  her  indomitable  wiHand  faith  in  herself 
wentupthe  ladder  by  bounds. 

Her  real  estate  is  valued  at  more  than  eight  hundred 
thousand  dollars,  besides  stocks  and  bonds.  Her  factory 
and  laboratory  at  Indianapolis  is  said  to  be  the  most 
complete  of  its  kind  in  the  United  States. 
^Madame  Walker  traveled  in  every  State  in  the  Union, 
also  in  Cuba  Panama  and  the  West  Indies.  She  carried 


the  spirit  of  the  club  wherever  she  went.  She  was  always 
a  conspicuous  personage  at  the  national  gatherings,  and 
gave  liberally  to  the  work  of  the  association. 

She  led  jn_the  contributions  for  the  purchase  of  the 
.Douglass  home.  She  was  truly  a  product  of  the  club 
.work. 

Madame  Walker  established  a  school  in  Africa  and 
provided  for  its  upkeep.  No  woman  loved  her  own  race 
more  than  she  did,  and  no  one  had  such  abiding  faith  in 
the  final  triumph  of  the  womanhood  of  her  race  through 
its  organized  efforts. 

_jVErjL-Ma1cme  is  also  a  beauty  specialist.     She  has  her 
fifty  thousand  dollar  factory  in  one  of  the  best  localities 


204  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

of  the  great  city  of  St.  Louis.  There  are  under  her  con- 
trol in  the  factory  more  than  a  hundred  women  and  girls. 
The  treatment  of  the  scalp,  manicuring,  chiropody,  mak- 
ing of  wigs,  dyeing  hair,  manufacturing  hair,  making 
switches,  all  go  to  show  the  wonderful  business  sense  of 
this  woman,  and  yet  she  is  a  most  unassuming  person. 
She  is  greatly  interested  in  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  of  St.  Louis. 
She  remembers  the  needy.  The  club  has  found  many  a 
woman  who  would  otherwise  not  have  found  herself. 

Mrs.  Maggie  Walker  was  first  a  school  teacher,  a 
worker  for  women  and  an  agent  for  the  Women's  Union. 
then  secretary-treasurer  of  a  secret  order,  which  posi- 
tion had  been  held  by  a  man.  There  were  few  members, 
less  than  a  thousand,  and  little  or  no  money. 

At  the  beginning  of  her  career  in  this  organization 
there  was  less  than  fifty  dollars  belonging  to  the  treasury, 
with  liabilities  amounting  to  $400,  and  a  paid  up  mem- 
bership of  less  than  a  thousand  members.  In  less  than 
fifteen  years  the  total  assets  of  the  order  were  $116,000, 
all  debts  paid  off,  5,694  death  claims  amounting  to 
$564,134.  This  organization  has  a  paid  up  capital  of 
over  $50,000.  There  is  now  a  membership  of  men, 
women  and  children  of  nearly  50,000.  There  are  nearly 
ten  thousand  children  in  financial  standing  in  the  Juvenile 
Department  of  this  order.  The  order  had  no  assets; 
at  present  its  assets  are  $150,750. 

Mrs.  Walker  is  now  the  president  of  the  St.  Luke  Bank. 
She  is  president  of  the  CounciLflf  Colored  Women,  a 
leading  spirit  in  the  Virginia  State__F£d£ration.  She  is 
a  trustee  of  the  Girls'  Home  at  Peake,  Va.,  and  in  every 
way  possible  she  lends  a  strong  hand  to  the  woman  and 
girl  waiting  to  be  shown  the  way. 

Mrs.  Walker  was  for  years  the  head  of  the  Business 
Department  of  our  association. 


206  I'ROGKKSS    OK    A    KACK. 

,Mrs.  Josenberger,  for  many  years  a  successful  teacher 
in  Ft.  Smith,  Ark.,  is  a  graduate  of  Fisk  University. 
She  is  now  easily  worth  $40,000,  being  an  undertaker  of 
no  small  ability.  She  owns  and  controls  two  large  build- 
ings in  which  she  carries  on  her  business. 

Mrs.  Josenberger  leads  in  the  club  life  throughout  the 
entire  State  of  Arkansas.  She  is  their  vice-president ; 
she  is  now  chairman  of  the  Peace  Committee  of  the 
national  association,  and  is  now  conducting  our  business 
department. 

Mrs.  Josenberger  gives  her  association  with  club  work 
as  the  impetus  to  all  the  steps  of  progress  she  has  ever 
made. 

Mother's  Meetings. — The  writer  of  this  article  has 
-conducted  her  mother's  meetings_fflrjwenty  years  in  the 
.village  nea  tesL-hec. 

The  first  day  of  the  class  there  were  five  women, 
today  there  are  more  than  a  thousand,  and  few  are  able 
to  read  or  write  their  names,  but  all  are  wise  enough 
to  realize  that  better  mothers  are  an  absolute  necessity 
for  better  girls  and  boys  of  the  future.  ^Proper  food  and 
jress  for  the  child,  orderly  and  separate  sleeping  quarters 
for  girls  and  boys,  beUei^athjingJfacilities  for  the  family 
^jfor  the  decent  conduct  and  health  of  the^  household. 
Rights  ot  children  for  recreation  and  play,  mother's  posi- 
tion in  the  home,  relation  of  mother  and  father  in  the 
home,  are  all  subjects  which  the  women  discuss  with  as 
much  eagerness  and  intelligence  as  the  average  woman. 

From  these  simple  lessons  have  come  women  who  per- 
sisted until  they  learned  to  read,  and  to  understand  the 
daily  lessons  which  the  children  bring  home  from  school 
at  night. 

Women  who  have  been  able  by  continuous  effort  to 
encourage  their  husbands  to  purchase  property,  and  to 


I.      MRS.    M.    S.    JOSENBERGER,    A.  B.  2.      MADAM    C.    J.    WAt,«THR. 

3.     MADAM   MARTHA  B.  ANDERSON,   B.  M. 


208  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

regard  his  own  hearthstone  not  so  lightly  as  he  once  did, 
and  to  bring  about  more  wholesome  conditions  in  every 
phase  of  their  life  and  living. 

One  club  in  a  certain  Southern  State  organized  and  has 
maintained  for  eighteen  years  a  night  school  for  the 
women  and  girls,  and  men,  too,  who  are  not  able  to  at- 
tend any  school  in  the  day.  During  these  years  women 
and  girls  have  had  lessons  in  cooking,  sewing  and  the 
general  care  of  their  homes,  in  addition  to  their  lessons 
in  their  books.  A  Y.  M.  C.  A.  goes  along  with  this  night 
school ;  books  for  the  young  are  distributed  and  kept  in 
circulation.and  women  with  their  families  have  long 


Since  taken  an  upward  trend~±Qward  a  higher~^nd^mnre 


\yliolcsonK-  civic  and  moral  life. 


This  club  owns  its  own  rooms  and  furnishings,  and 
has  recently  raised  nearly  a  thousand  dollars  for  a  home 
for  girls,  supplied  literature  on  health  subjects  to  hun- 
dreds of  country  women,  held  boys'  clinics,  directed  bet- 
ter baby  campaigns,  held  country  fairs,  and  in  many 
ways  been  able  to  give  cheer  and  inspiration  to  thousands 
of  women  who  otherwise  would  have  drifted  away  from 
all  that  is  good  and  pure. 

A  modest  little  woman,  Mrs.^^jDjnah  Pace,  has  for 
many  years  taken  all  the  children,  boys  and  girls  in  her 
neighborhood,  who  were  orphans.  They  live  on  a  large 
farm  in  the  summer  and  do  much  work,  which  makes  it 
possible  for  the  family  to  get  through  the  winters.  .Mrs. 

T^ace  also  looks  after  the  mothers  in  her  community  who 
need  sympathy  and  pnrn"ragf>mpnfi  an<^  so-  has  come  to 

rJ6e~lTgreat  inspiration  to  other  club  women,  who,  like 
herself,  have  had  advantages  and  opportunities  above 
their_.fellQw  sisters,  andyet  hayje-notZEJcl  the  courage 
to  mak^_thje_^ter^outside^  of  their  own  doors  and  circle 
to  lend  a  helping  hand  in  this  great  work  of  uplift. 


CLUB   WORK   AMONG    NEGRO   WOMEN.  209 

f  Our  club  has  made  an  effort  to  develop  public  speakers 
/so  ^hat^pur  cause  might  be  brought  more  clearly  .and 
definitely  before  "'trie~~country .  Mrs.  Mary  B.  Talbert, 
of  Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  Mrs.  Mary  Church  Terrell,  of  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  the  late  Mrs.  J.  Siloame  Yates,  of  Kansas 
City,  Mo.,  Mrs.  Josephine  Bruce,  of  Washington,  D.  C., 
Miss  Nannie  Burroughs,  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  Miss 
Lucy  Laney,  of  Augusta,  Ga.,  are  all  women  who  stand 
out  as  the  equal  of  any  club  women  who  are  in  the  public 
eyg__today. 

Nj^thing  has  so  changed_the  whole  life  and  personnel 
of  the  colored  woman  and  so  surely  brought  her  into  her 
own  as  has  the  club  life  to  which  she  has  lent  herself, 
inspired  bylhe  national  association  which  has..-£o.r  its  aim 
the  development  of  its  women,  mentajhy^_morally anc[ 
indiistrially^as  well  as  along  civic  lines,  and  whose  motto 
is,  "Lifting  as  we  climb." 

"All  swift  the  cry  comes  down  the  world: 

Take  task  and  take  caress, 
But,  by  our  living  spirits,  we 

Have  other  ways  to  bless. 
Now  let  us  teach  the  thing  we've  learned 

In  labor  and  loneliness. 
We  strive  with  none.    We  fold  man  home  by 

The  power  of  a  great  new  word. 
We  who  have  long  been  dead  are  alive. 

We,  too,  are  thy  people,  Lord!" 


14 


ALBON  L.  HOI.SEY,  SECRETARY  TO  THE  PRINCIPAL,  TUSKEGEE  INSTITUTE. 
EDITOR  OF  "THE  TUSKEGEE  STUDENT." 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE    NATIONAL    NEGRO    BUSINESS    LEAGUE. 

Written    Expressly    for    This    Work    by    Albon    L.    Holsey.    Secretary    to    the 
Principal  of  Tuskegee  Institute. 

Introduction. — To  see  the  beginnings  of  the  National 
Negro  Business  League  in  a  true  perspective,  it  is  neces- 
sary to  set  them  against  the  conditions  that  existed  dur- 
ing the  earlier  development  of  Negro  business  enterprises. 
When  it  is  recalled  that  the  Negro  has  come  so  recently 
rom  slavery  into  the  light  of  civilization,  it  is  expected 
that  he  should  be  slow  in  assuming  a  firm  place  in  the 
shifting  and  uncertain  business  world. 

The  great  masses  of  the  Negroes  were  deprived  by  the 
very  conditions  of  slavery  of  every  opportunity  to  learn 
the  art  of  business.  •  They  were  taught,  as  one  of  the 
conditions  of  slavery,  to  distrust  one  another,  and  the 
lesson  was  all  too  well  learned.  With  this  blighting  feel- 
ing of  distrust  naturally  followed  the  two  "bed-fellows," 
envy  and  jealousy ;  so  that  with  freedom  the  seeds  sprang 
up  and  increased  wonderfully  and  constituted  for  a  long 
time  the  weeds  and  thorns  in  the  pathway  of  the  Negro's 
success  in  business. 

In  view  of  these  facts  it  is  no  wonder  that  more  prog- 
ress was  made  in  education  and  culture,  in  the  acquisition 
of  land,  real  estate  and  churches,  than  in  the  economic 
world  of  business.  Then,  too,  they  were  face  to  face 
with  competition  of  the  most  efficient  kind.  Those  who 
would  succeed  in  business  had  to  meet  the  competition 
of  the  white  man,  with  his  superior  capital  and  training, 
and  also  the  distrust  and  jealousy  of  many  of  his  own 
race.  Thus  he  had  foes  to  fight  from  within  and  from 
without.  Yet,  in  the  face  of  these  adverse  conditions,  a 

211 


212  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

very  creditable  beginning  had  been  made  at  the  time 
when  the  National  Negro  Business  League  was  under 
consideration. 

In  1899,  in  a  very  valuable  contribution  to  the  study 
of  the  Negro  in  business,  Dr.  W.  E.  B.  DuBois  reported 
that  the  capital  invested  in  the  various  Negro  enterprises 
was  approximately  nine  millions  of  dollars.  The  great 
bulk  of  these  investments,  seventy-nine  per  cent,  was  in 
sums  less  than  $2,500,  which  showed  how  widely  the 
business  interests  of  the  race  were  distributed  and  how 
many  Negro  men  and  women  were  actively  engaged  in 
them.  While  the  sum  invested  in  the  various  enterprises 
seems  small  in  comparison  with  the  vast  investments  of 
the  country,  or  even  with  the  investments  of  certain 
Negro  enterprises  of  today,  yet  when  one  considers  that 
the  Negro  had  been  out  of  slavery  only  thirty-five  years 
at  the  time  the  league  was  formed,  and  that  he  had  started 
with  nothing,  the  progress  seems  almost  phenomenal. 

Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington,  in  his  travels  through 
widely  separated  regions  of  the  country  found  so  many 
Negroes  engaged  in  profitable  commercial  pursuits,  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  time  had  come  to  put  the 
Negro  business  men  and  women  on  terms  of  mutual 
acquaintanceship  and  mutual  helpfulness.  Then  with 
that  rare  insight  which  characterized  the  man's  really  in- 
disputable genius,  he  sent  out  the  following  appeal,  which 
resulted  in  a  big  convention,  where  the  Negro  business 
world  should  take  to  itself  a  voice  that  must  at  once 
impress  the  white  man  and  encourage  the  black  man. 

"After  careful  consideration  and  consultation  with 
prominent  colored  people  throughout  the  country, 
it  has  been  decided  to  organize  what  will  be  known 
as  the  National  Negro  Business  League. 


PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

"The  need  of  an  organization  that  will  bring  the 
colored  people  who  are  engaged  in  business  together 
for  consultation  and  to  secure  information  and  in- 
spiration from  each  other  has  long  been  felt.  Out 
of  this  national  organization  it  is  expected  will  grow 
local  business  leagues  that  will  tend  to  improve  the 
Negro  as  a  business  factor. 

"Boston  has  been  selected  as  the  place  of  meeting 
because  of  its  historic  importance,  its  cool  summer 
climate  and  generally  favorable  conditions.  It  is  felt 
that  the  rest,  recreation  and  new  ideas  which  busi- 
ness men  and  women  will  secure  from  a  trip  to 
Boston  will  more  than  repay  them  for  time  and 
money  spent. 

"The  date  of  the  meeting  will  be  Thursday  and 
Friday,  August  23d  and  24th,  because  it  is  felt  that 
this  is  the  season  when  business  can  be  left  with 
least  loss.  Then,  too,  nearly  all  the  steamship  lines 
and  railroads  have  reduced  their  rates  to  Boston  at 
that  time  to  one  fare  for  the  round  trip  for  the 
entire  summer. 

"Every  individual  engaged  in  business  will  be 
entitled  to  membership,  but  as  far  as  possible  the 
colored  people  in  all  the  cities  and  towns  of  the 
country  should  take  steps  at  once  to  organize  local 
business  leagues,  where  no  such  organization  already 
exists,  and  should  see  that  these  organizations  send 
one  or  more  delegates  to  represent  them. 

"It  is  very  important  that  every  line  of  business 
that  any  Negro  man  or  woman  is  engaged  in  be  rep- 
resented. This  meeting  will  represent  a  great  op- 
portunity for  us  to  show  to  the  world  what  progress 
we  have  made  in  business  lines  since  our  freedom. 

"This   organization    is  not   in   opposition   to  any 


THE    NATIONAL    NEGRO   BUSINESS   LEAGUE.  215 

other  now  in  existence,  but  is  expected  to  do  a  dis- 
tinct work  that  no  other  organization  now  in  exis- 
tence can  do  as  well. 

"Another  circular,  giving  further  information  as 
to  program  and  other  details  of  the  meeting,  will 
be  issued  within  a  few  weeks.  All  persons,  whether 
men  or  women,  interested  in  the  movement  are  in- 
vited to  correspond  with, 

"Yours  very  truly, 

"BOOKER  T.  WASHINGTON." 

First  Meeting  of  the  League. — The  meeting  in  Bos- 
ton was  held  on  August  23d-25th.  Day  and  evening 
sessions  were  held  the  first  two  days.  The  delegates  as- 
sembled in  the  large  hall  of  the  Parker  Memorial  Build- 
ing, which  was  beautifully  and  appropriately  decorated. 
The  use  of  the  hall  was  donated  by  one  of  the  philan- 
thropists of  Boston,  and  the  decorations  were  put  up  by 
a  business  man  of  our  race,  Mr.  B.  F.  Washington.  On 
August  25th,  which  was  Saturday,  the  delegates  were 
given  an  excursion  on  a  steamer  down  Boston  Harbor 
by  the  city  government.  This  was  one  of  the  most 
pleasant  features  of  the  week,  and  the  courtesy  was 
thoroughly  appreciated  by  the  visitors.  Not  only  in  this 
excursion,  but  in  many  other  ways  were  the  delegates 
made  welcome.  Hon.  Thomas  W.  Hart,  the  mayor  of 
Boston,  himself  an  eminently  successful  business  man, 
was  present  at  one  of  the  sessions  and  made  an  address 
which  gave  the  delegates  inspiration  and  encouragement. 
The  people  of  Boston  were  unremitting  in  their  efforts 
to  help  the  visitors  in  their  city  to  get  all  of  the  pleasure 
and  profit  out  of  their  stay. 

The  arrangements  for  the  meeting  in  Boston  were 
made  by  a  local  committee  of  Dr.  S.  B.  Courtney;  P.  J. 


THE   NATIONAL    NEGRO   BUSINESS   LEAGUE.  217 

Smith;  Louis  F.  Baldwin,  real  estate;  J.  R.  Hamm,  news- 
dealer and  stationer ;  Rev.  W.  H.  Tomas ;  Virgil  Richard- 
son, gents'  furnishings ;  Captain  Charles  L.  Mitchell ; 
William  L.  Reed,  tobacconist;  J.  H.  Lewis,  tailor;  Gilbert 
C.  Harris,  manufacturer  of  and  dealer  in  hair  goods. 

On  the  morning  of  August  230!,  Dr.  S.  E.  Courtney, 
the  chairman  of  the  local  committee,  called  the  meeting 
to  order  and  read  the  call  of  the  meeting.  Prayer  was 
offered  by  Rev.  Dr.  Montague,  of  Boston.  Mr.  Louis 
F.  Baldwin,  a  real  estate  dealer  in  Cambridge,  was  made 
temporary  chairman,  and  Mr.  E.  E.  Cooper,  the  publisher 
of  The  Colored  American  of  Washington,  was  made  tem- 
porary secretary.  These  temporary  positions  were  sub- 
sequently made  permanent,  and  the  success  of  this  first 
meeting  was  in  no  small  measure  due  to  the  able  and 
interested  manner  in  which  these  two  gentlemen  per- 
formed their  duties.  An  address  of  welcome  was  made 
by  Hon.  John  J.  Smith,  of  Boston.  There  were  ap- 
pointed to  serve  as  a  committee  of  resolutions  Mr.  W. 
R.  Pettiford,  a  banker  of  Birmingham,  Alabama ;  Mr.  C. 
K.  Johnson,  a  real  estate  dealer  of  Virginia ;  Mr.  Daniel 
W.  Lucas,  a  barber  of  Kansas  City,  Missouri ;  and  Mr. 
M.  M.  Lewey,  an  editor  and  publisher  of  Pensacola, 
Florida.  The  permanent  organization,  effected  later,  con- 
sisted of  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington,  president.  Vice- 
presidents,  Giles  B.  Jackson,  Richmond;  Mrs.  A.  M. 
Smith,  Chicago.  Treasurer,  Gilbert  C.  Harris,  Boston. 
Secretary,  Edward  E.  Cooper,  Washington.  Compiler, 
Edward  A.  Johnson,  Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  Executive 
Committee :  T.  Thomas  Fortune,  New  York ;  T.  W.  Jones, 
Chicago;  Isaiah  T.  Montgomery,  Mound  Bayou,  Missis- 
sippi; Booker  T.  Washington,  Tuskegee,  Alabama; 
George  C.  Jones,  Little  Rock,  Arkansas;  Gilbert  C. 
Harris  and  Louis  F.  Baldwin,  Boston. 


218  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACK. 

The  names  given  show  the  widely  representative  char- 
acter of  the  league  from  the  very  first,  both  as  regards 
the  territory  from  which  the  delegates  came,  and  also  the 
industries  represented. 

The  wide  scope  of  this  meeting  is  best  shown  in  the 
program  which  occupied  the  two  days'  session.  The 
papers  and  addresses  were  short,  compact,  and  to  the 
point.  Some  of  them  may  have  lacked  the  polish  of 
the  rhetorician,  but  they  told  a  story  in  every  case  of 
what  the  speaker  had  accomplished  and  all  present  under- 
stood. It  was  not  the  plan  to  have  formal  addresses, 
but  instead  to  have  a  person  who  had  succeeded  in  some 
business  tell  how  he  had  accomplished  his  achievements ; 
to  tell  what  obstacles  he  had  met  and  just  how  he  had 
overcome  them  that  others,  hearing  him,  might  get  in- 
formation and  encouragement  which  would  help  them 
succeed  in  the  things  they  were  doing. 

Space  will  not  permit  the  mentioning  of  all  who  spoke 
at  this  wonderful  convention,  but  only  a  few  with  their 
topics  and  a  paragraph  here  and  there.  Mr.  Andrew  F. 
Hillyer,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  spoke  upon  "The  Colored 
American  in  Business."  He  gave  an  interesting  account 
of  this  phase  of  Negro  life  and  some  very  valuable  data 
derived  from  the  Government  record  of  1890. 

Mr.  Giles  B.  Jackson,  a  real  estate  dealer  of  Richmond, 
Virginia,  spoke  on  "The  Negro  as  a  Real  Estate  Dealer." 
Mr.  Jackson  showed  by  the  data  derived  from  the  report 
of  the  auditor  of  Virginia  that  the  Negroes  of  that  State 
owned  one  twenty-sixth  of  all  the  land  in  the  State,  and 
one-sixteenth  of  all  the  land  east  of  the  Blue  Ridge.  He 
showed  further  that  they  owned  one-tenth  of  all  the  land 
in  twenty-five  of  the  one  hundred  counties  of  the  State ; 
one-seventh  of  the  land  in  Middlesex  County,  one-sixth  of 
the  land  in  Hanover  County,  and  that  in  Charles  City 


THE    NATIONAL    NEGRO   BUSINESS   LEAGUE.  219 

they  owned  one-third  of  all  the  land.  He  told  how,  in 
the  year  of  1893,  when  the  city  of  Richmond  needed  to 
borrow  money  to  pay  school  expenses,  the  True  Re- 
formers Bank,  a  race  enterprise,  loaned  the  city  $100,000. 
Mr.  J.  E.  Shepard,  of  Enfield,  North  Carolina,  also  spoke 
upon  "The  Negro  in  Real  Estate." 

Mr.  M.  M.  Lewey,  of  Pensacola,  Florida,  spoke  of  the 
Negro  business  enterprises  in  his  city.  He  said  that  half 
the  population  of  Pensacola  were  Negroes,  and  no  less 
than  fifty  business  enterprises  were  owned  and  operated 
by  Negroes.  The  Negroes  were  engaged  in  all  forms 
of  business. 

Mr.  J.  W.  Pullen,  of  Enfield,  North  Carolina,  spoke  of 
the  business  enterprises  of  this  city.  Mr.  R.  B.  Fitz- 
gerald, of  Durham,  North  Carolina,  was  present  and  made 
a  brief  address.  As  Doctor  Washington  said,  "The  mere 
presence  of  this  man  and  his  wife  at  the  meeting  was 
eloquent  with  encouragement.  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Fitzgerald 
began  the  manufacture  of  bricks  in  North  Carolina 
several  years  ago,  with  unbounded  energy  and  determina- 
tion, but  with  so  little  capital  that  at  first  Mrs.  Fitzgerald 
was  obliged  to  wheel  away  and  pile  up  to  dry  the  bricks 
that  her  husband  was  making.  Now  they  own  an  estab- 
lishment that  turns  out  3,000,000  bricks  every  year,  own 
much  real  estate  in  addition,  and  Mrs.  Fitzgerald  runs 
a  drug  store." 

Dr.  A.  J.  Love,  of  Chattanooga,  Tennessee,  spoke  for 
the  colored  people  of  his  city,  and  reported  that  one 
hundred  homes  were  owned  by  Negroes  and  that  $243,000 
were  invested. 

Mr.  Dungee,  of  Montgomery,  Alabama,  spoke  as  the 
representative  of  the  Citizens'  Commercial  Union  of  that 
city.  Mr.  R.  B.  Hudson,  of  Selma,  Alabama,  spoke  for 
the  business  men  of  that  city.  He  was  followed  by  Dr. 


220  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

L.  L.  Burwell,  a  druggist  of  the  same  city.  The  latter 
spoke  of  the  need  in  the  South  of  competent  druggists. 
The  discussion  was  continued  by  Dr.  E.  E.  Elbert,  of 
Wilmington,  Delaware,  and  Dr.  A.  M.  Brown,  of  Bir- 
mingham, Alabama. 

Mr.  Gilbert  C.  Harris,  of  Boston,  spoke  upon  "Work 
in  Hair."  Mr.  Harris  came  as  a  young  man  to  Boston 
from  the  South,  with  practically  no  business  knowledge. 
He  secured  work  in  a  store  where  hair  goods  were  sold 
and  learned  the  trade  very  thoroughly.  Some  years  later, 
when  the  business  was  up  for  sale,  he  bought  it. 

An  excellent  address  was  made  by  Mrs.  A.  A.  Ches- 
neau,  of  Boston. 

Mr.  W.  R.  Pettiford,  president  of  a  colored  bank  in 
Birmingham,  Alabama,  spoke  upon  "The  Negro  Savings 
Bank."  He  emphasized  the  importance  of  the  colored 
people  having  saving  banks  of  their  own  and  the  great 
incentive  these  would  be  for  the  saving  of  money  and 
the  buying  of  homes. 

Mr.  Isaiah  T.  Montgomery,  the  mayor  of  Mound 
Bayou,  Mississippi,  spoke  very  interestingly  and  instruc- 
tively upon  "The  Building  of  a  Negro  Town."  Mr. 
Montgomery  was  a  slave  of  Jefferson  Davis,  and  as  a 
house  servant  employed  about  the  library  and  office  of 
Mr.  Davis  and  his  brother  had  an  unusual  opportunity 
to  acquire  an  education.  In  1887  he  made  arrangements 
with  a  large  railroad  company  to  colonize  a  tract  of 
wild  land  in  the  Yazoo  Delta.  The  town  of  Mound 
Bayou  is  the  result,  a  purely  Negro  community,  having 
churches,  a  good  school,  a  tributary  agricultural  popula- 
tion of  2,000,  a  number  of  cotton  gins  and  saw  mills 
and  several  stores,  the  latter  doing  a  business  every  year 
of  over  $30,000. 

Mr.  T.  W.  Walker,  of  Birmingham,  Alabama,  spoke  on 


MONTGOMERY    COTTON    GIN,    MOUND    BAYOU,    MISS. 


OFFICE  OF  B.  A.   GREENE,  ATTORNEY   AT  LAW. 

Mr.  Greene  was  the  first  person  born  in  the  city  of  Mound  Bayou, 
Mississippi. 


22%  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

"A  Negro  Coal  Mining  Company."  Mr.  J.  C.  Leftwich. 
of  Klondike,  Alabama,  spoke  upon  "The  Negro  of  the 
South  and  What  He  Must  Do  to  Be  Saved."  Mr.  W.  O. 
Emery,  of  Macon,  Georgia,  spoke  upon  "Negro  Business 
Enterprises."  Mr.  J.  A.  Williams,  of  Omaha,  spoke  for 
the  colored  people  of  that  city. 

One  of  the  best  addresses  was  that  made  by  Mr.  J. 
H.  Lewis,  a  tailor,  of  Boston.  Born  a  slave,  he  began 
work  for  himself  with  nothing.  His  tailoring  establish- 
ment in  Boston  not  only  occupied  one  of  the  best  stores 
in  the  business  section  of  the  city,  but  was  one  of  the 
finest  establishments  in  the  city.  He  employed  a  number 
of  men,  while  the  rent  of  the  store  was  nearly  $10,000 
a  year. 

Mr.  R.  T.  Palmer,  a  tailor  and  men's  furnisher  in 
Columbia,  South  Carolina,  spoke  on  the  business  condi- 
tions in  his  part  of  the  country. 

Mrs.  A.  M.  Smith,  of  Chicago,  spoke  upon  "Women's 
Development  in  Business." 

Mr.  Theodore  W.  Jones,  of  Chicago,  spoke  upon  the 
topic  "Go  Into  Business."  Mr.  Davis  B.  Allen,  of  New- 
port, Rhode  Island,  spoke  upon  "Catering,"  and  Mr.  H. 
C.  Smiley,  of  Chicago,  read  an  excellent  paper  upon 
"The  Afro-American  as  a  Caterer." 

Mr.  T.  Thomas  Fortune,  at  that  time  the  editor  of 
the  New  York  Age,  spoke  upon  "The  Negro  Publisher." 
Mr.  T.  H.  Thomas,  of  Galveston,  Texas,  had  a  subject 
"Barbering."  Mr.  George  E.  Jones,  of  Little  Rock, 
Arkansas,  spoke  upon  "Undertaking."  Mr.  J.  K.  Groves, 
of  Kansas  City,  spoke  upon  "Potato  Growing."  Mr.  A. 
F.  Crawford,  of  Meriden,  Connecticut,  had  for  a  topic 
"The  Negro  Florist."  Mr.  E.  B.  Johnson,  of  New  Bed- 
ford, Massachusetts,  spoke  upon  the  business  conditions 
of  his  city.  Mr.  D.  J.  Cunningham,  a  successful  grocer 


THE    NATIONAL    NEGRO    BUSINESS   LEAGUE.  223 

of  Pensacola,  Florida,  spoke  upon  general  merchandising 
there,  which  subject  was  continued  by  E.  P.  Booze,  of 
Clarkesdale,  Mississippi.  Mr.  J.  P.  Fowlkes,  of  Eving- 
ton,  Virginia,  explained  how  co-operative  stores  were 
established  in  his  State.  Mr.  F.  G.  Steadman,  a  founder 
and  manufacturer  of  East  Hampton,  Connecticut,  spoke 
upon  "Bell  Making,"  and  presented  a  beautiful  souvenir 
bell  to  the  league.  Mr.  J.  N.  Vandevall,  of  East  Orange, 
New  Jersey,  described  the  business  of  steam  cleaning 
high  grade  rugs  and  carpets. 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  from  the  beginning  one 
of  the  most  inspiring  and  helpful  features  of  the  league 
has  been  the  inclusion  of  colored  business  women  as  well 
as  men  in  the  membership.  Some  of  the  most  helpful 
and  encouraging  addresses  at  all  the  meetings  from  the 
very  first  at  Boston  have  been  made  by  women,  just  as 
some  of  the  most  creditable  work  of  the  race  in  business 
lines  has  been  done  by  them. 

Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington,  in  his  address  to  the  con- 
vention, said  among  many  other  things : 

"We  must  not  in  any  part  of  our  country  become 
discouraged,  notwithstanding  the  way  often  seems 
dark  and  desolate;  we  must  maintain  faith  in  our- 
selves and  in  our  country.  No  race  ever  got  upon 
its  feet  without  a  struggle,  trial  and  discouragement. 
The  very  struggles  through  which  we  often  pass  give 
us  strength  and  experience  that  in  the  end  will  prove 
helpful.  Every  individual  and  every  race  that  has 
succeeded  has  had  to  pay  the  price  which  nature 
demands  from  all.  We  cannot  get  something  for 
nothing.  Every  member  of  the  race  who  succeeds 
in  business,  however  humble  and  simple  that  busi- 
ness may  be,  because  he  has  learned  the  important 
lessons  of  cleanliness,  promptness,  system,  honesty 
and  progressiveness,  is  contributing  his  share  in 
smoothing  the  pathway  for  this  and  succeeding 


PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

generations.  For  the  sake  of  emphasis,  I  repeat  that 
no  one  can  long  succeed  unless  we  keep  in  mind  the 
important  elements  of  cleanliness,  promptness,  sys- 
tem, honesty  and  progressiveness." 

Another  interesting  and  helpful  feature  of  this  meet- 
ing was  the  press  reports  which  appeared  in  the  daily 
papers  at  that  time.  Mr.  Henry  J.  Barrymore,  writing 
in  the  Boston  Transcript,  August  25,  1900,  said  of  his 
visit  to  the  convention : 

"It  pleased  me  to  see  how  brave  the  Negro  could 
be  and  how  patient.  I  waited  for  outbreaks  of 
protests  against  white  oppression  and  especially 
against  recent  white  cruelty.  I  heard  none.  No  one 
'cried  baby.'  The  spirit  of  the  whole  occasion  was 
distinctly  hopeful.  Regarding  material  advancement 
as  a  basis  of  every  other  sort  of  progress,  the  con- 
vention listened  eagerly  to  accounts  of  Negroes,  once 
poor,  who  had  now  built  houses,  bought  land,  opened 
places  of  independent  business,  and  established  solid 
bank  accounts.  Repeatedly  it  was  pointed  out  that 
men  born  slaves  had  actually  become  rich ;  also  that 
the  total  material  progress  of  the  race  had  been  ac- 
complished in  only  thirty-five  years — a  happy  augury 
for  the  future!  Such  utterances  called  out  tumul- 
tuous cheers,  mingles  with  the  shrill  'rebel  yell'  of 
the  Southerners.  Yet  there  was  scarcely  any  ten- 
dency to  indulge  in  racial  self-laudation.  More  than 
once  the  speakers  insisted  that  the  commercial  su- 
periority of  the  white  man  must  be  frankly  recog- 
nized and  that  the  Negro  must  learn  to  copy  the 
white  man's  methods.  In  general,  the  convention 
deprecated  the  Negro's  desire  to  flatter  the  Negro. 
'Far  from  that,  let  us  look  the  conditions  honestly 
and  courageously  in  the  face.  Let  us  say  the  things 
that  will  help  our  people,  whether  those  things  are 
pleasant  or  otherwise.  To  be  sure,  a  good  many 
of  those  beneficial  deliverances  were  sheer  platitudes, 
but  the  Negro  race  is  in  need  of  platitudes.  It  is 


BOOKER  T.   WASHINGTON. 

Founder  and  First  President  of  the  League. 


226  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

fortunately  developing  a  relish  for  platitudes.  It 
has  reached  the  stage  of  moral  and  intellectual  evolu- 
tion where  it  has  come  to  realize  the  vital  importance 
of  plain,  homespun,  brown-colored  truth.  It  is  lav- 
ing the  basis  for  its  social  philosophy  by  making 
sure  of  its  axioms.'  " 

AFFILIATED   ORGANIZATIONS. 

Each  year  witnesses  the  tendency  to  form  new  groups 
or  organizations  affiliated  with  the  National  Negro  Busi- 
ness League.  This,  of  itself,  is  evidence  of  the  inspira- 
tional value  and  creative  power  of  the  parent  body.  The 
National  Bankers'  Association  was  the  first  outgrowth 
and  the  first  offspring  of  the  business  league.  Likewise, 
year  by  year,  there  came  into  existence  the  National 
Funeral  Directors'  Association,  the  National  Negro  Press 
Association,  the  National  Negro  Bar  Association;  the 
National  Association  of  Negro  Insurance  Men,  the  Na- 
tional Retail  Merchants'  Association,  the  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Real  Estate  Dealers.  These  branch  organiza- 
tions meet  each  year  with  the  national  league  and,  in 
addition  to  special  discussions  of  interest  to  each  group, 
they  conduct  highly  interesting  and  instructive  sym- 
posiums in  the  main  convention  of  the  league. 

NATIONAL    NEGRO    HEALTH    WEEK. 

One  of  the  most  helpful  and  far  reaching  efforts  of 
the  national  league  was  the  instituting  of  the  National 
Negro  Health  Week,  which  started  March  2ist  to  the 
27th,  1915.  This  movement  was  suggested  by  the  presi- 
dent of  the  league,  and  had  the  endorsement  of  the 
executive  committee.  The  machinery  of  the  secretary's 
office  was  taken  advantage  of  to  circulate  the  idea  and 
keep  the  country  at  large  in  touch  with  the  movement. 
Circulars  based  upon  the  following  figures,  compiled  by 


THE    NATIONAL    NEGRO    BUSINESS    LEAGUE.  227 

Mr.  Monroe  N.  Work  of  the  Division  of  Records  and 
Research,  Tuskegee  Institute,  were  sent  out.  The  facts 
as  gathered  by  Mr.  Work  are  as  follows : 

Four  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  Negroes  in  the 
South  alone  are  seriously  ill  all  the  time ;  the  annual 
cost  of  sickness  of  these  450,000  Negroes  is  $75,- 
000,000. 

One  hundred  and  twelve  thousand  Negro  workers 
in  the  South  are  sick  all  the  time ;  their  annual  loss 
in  earnings  is  $45,000,000 ;  45  per  cent  of  the  deaths 
among  Negroes  are  preventable. 

Two  hundred  and  twenty-five  thousand  Negro 
workers  in  the  South  alone  die  annually;  100,000 
of  these  deaths  could  be  prevented. 

The  annual  funeral  expenses  of  the  Negroes  of 
the  South  alone  amount  to  $15,000,000;  $6,500,000 
of  this  amount  could  be  saved. 

Sickness  and  death  cost  Negroes  of  the  South 
alone  $100,000,000;  $50,000,000  of  this  amount 
could  be  saved. 

Some  of  the  special  things  emphasized  in  connection 
with  the  Negro  health  organization  were :  The  organiza- 
tion of  clean-up  committees,  special  health  sermons  by 
colored  ministers,  health  lectures  by  physicians  and  other 
competent  persons ;  the  thorough  cleaning  of  premises, 
including  dwelling  yards,  outbuildings,  and  making  sani- 
tary springs  and  wells.  The  movement  was  supported 
by  State  and  city  boards  of  health,  State  departments  of 
education,  county  superintendents  of  schools,  white 
women's  clubs,  the  Federation  of  Colored  Women's 
Clubs,  and  ministers  and  other  uplift  organizations 
among  the  people  generally. 

No  agency  at  work  under  the  general  direction  of  the 
National  Business  League  has  accomplished  so  much 


22S  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

good  in  so  short  a  time  as  this  National  Negro  Health 
Week  Movement. 

GAINS  MADE  BY  THE  RACE. 

While  there  is  no  disposition  on  the  part  of  anyone  to 
claim  that  the  National  Negro  Business  League  is  directly 
responsible  for  all  of  the  material  progress  which  has 
been  made  by  members  of  the  Negro  race  since  its  or- 
ganization in  1900,  yet  the  significant  fact  remains  that 
the  past  decades  since  its  foundation  have  witnessed  a 
more  varied  and  greater  amount  of  economic  develop- 
ment than  at  any  other  time  in  its  history.  In  1900, 
when  the  National  Negro  Business  League  was  organized, 
there  were  about  20,000  Negro  business  enterprises  in 
America;  now  there  are  over  50,000.  In  1900  there  were 
two  Negro  banks;  now  there  are  72.  In  1900  Negroes 
were  conducting  250  drug  stores ;  now  they  have  695. 
In  1900  there  were  450  undertaking  establishments 
operated  by  Negroes;  now  there  are  over  1,000.  In 
1900  there  were  149  Negro  merchants  engaged  in  whole- 
sale business;  now  there  are  over  240.  In  1900  there 
were  10,000  retail  merchants;  now  there  are  over  25,000. 
In  the  twenty  years  since  the  National  Negro  Business 
League  was  organized,  the  total  farm  property  owned  by 
Negroes  has  shown  a  remarkable  increase.  From  1900 
to  1910  the  value  of  domestic  animals  owned  by  Negro 
farmers  increased  from  $85,216,337  to  $177,273,785,  or 
107  per  cent;  poultry  from  $3,788,792  to  $5,113,756,  or 
36  per  cent ;  implements  and  machinery  from  $18,586,225 
to  $36,861,418,  or  98  per  cent;  land  and  buildings  from 
$69,636,420  to  $273,501,665,  or  293  per  cent.  In  the 
ten  years  the  total  value  of  farm  property  owned  by 
Negroes  increased  from  $177,404,688  to  $492,892,218, 
or  117  per  cent. 


THE   NATIONAL    NEGRO   BUSINESS   LEAGUE.  229 

CONCLUSION. 

While  the  business  league  has  a  distinct  purpose  (that 
of  promoting  the  commercial  and  financial  development 
of  the  Negro),  and  does  not  attempt  to  prescribe  for 
every  racial  ill  or  cover  every  phase  of  racial  endeavor, 
yet  it  is  a  significant  fact  that,  through  the  instrumentality 
of  the  national  body  and  its  six  hundred  branches  or 
local  leagues  scattered  throughout  the  country,  a  very 
large  part  of  the  progress  that  has  been  made  by  the 
Negro  race  in  the  direction  of  home  and  farm  ownership, 
banking,  insurance,  manufacturing  and  mercantile  enter- 
prise, has  been  achieved  since  the  organization  of  the 
National  Negro  Business  League  in  Boston  just  twenty 
years  ago.  For  the  wise  inception  and  launching  of  that 
movement  by  Doctor  Washington,  its  founder  and  life- 
long president,  its  continuation  by  the  second  president, 
Hon.  J.  C.  Napier,  and  Dr.  Robert  R.  Moton,  the  third 
president,  cannot  be  too  highly  praised.  For  its  growth 
and  maintenance  as  well  as  its  wholesome  and  wide- 
spread influence,  primarily  Dr.  Emmet  J.  Scott,  the  effi- 
cient secretary  of  the  league,  together  with  the  executive 
staff,  the  members,  the  press,  and  other  loyal  supporters, 
cannot  be  too  warmly  commended. 

May  the  league  ever  live  and  grow  and  be  the  helping 
hand  of  the  Negro  race. 


IESSE    BINGA,    WEALTHY    CHICAGO    BAVKER. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

PROGRESS  IN  INDUSTRIES. 

FARMS,    HOMES  AND   BUSINESS   ENTERPRISES. 
By  ALBON  L.  HOLSEY,  Secretary  to  the  Principal  of  Tuskegee  Institute. 

Progress  in  Industries. — When  we  remember  that 
fifty-five  years  ago  the  Negro  was  in  slavery  it  is  cer- 
tainly remarkable  to  note  the  progress  made  in  all  lines 
of  industry.  Keeping  in  mind  some  of  the  difficulties 
the  Negro  has  had  to  strive  against  the  progress  made 
in  industries  is  commendable.  All  throughout  the  South 
are  found  men  who  stand  at  the  head  in  the  various  lines 
of  business.  Be  it  said  to  the  credit  of  the  colored  peo- 
ple, and  greatly  to  their  benefit,  that  the  race  has  in  its 
possession  a  sound  means  of  displaying  its  progress. 

United  Efforts. — While  much  has  been  done  in  all 
lines  of  business,  yet  very  much  more  remains  to  be 
done  before  the  Negro  holds  that  place  in  business  to 
which  he  is  entitled.  In  order  to  accomplish  what  should 
be  done  in  this  respect,  it  is  necessary  that  there  be 
united  efforts  on  the  part  of  the  race  to  assist  one  an- 
other in  every  business  enterprise.  Wherever  men  of 
the  Negro  race  attempt  to  increase  the  advantages  of 
the  race  there  should  be  found  those  who  stand  by  them 
and  support  them.  With  the  full  confidence  and  patron- 
age of  the  people  the  Negro  race  will  have  rich  merchants 
and  capitalists  carrying  on  rich  business  enterprises  in 
every  section  of  the  country  that  will  demand  the  respect 
arid  recognition  of  the  world. 

Fifty  Years  of  Progress  in  Business. — The  following 

231 


232  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

statistics  compiled  by  Mr.  Monroe  N.  Work,  director  of 
the  Division  of  Records  and  Research  at  Tuskegee  In- 
stitute, are  interesting  and  also  appropriate: 

Stock  Raising   202 

Jewelry    206 

Dairying  and  Farming 208 

Ice  Dealers 208 

Saw  and  Planing  Mill  Proprietors 219 

Wholesale  Merchants  and  Dealers 241 

Dry  Goods,  Fancy  Goods  and  Notions 280 

Manufacturers  and  Proprietors  of  Clothing  Fac- 
tories        310 

Fruit  Growers 316 

Livery  Stable   Keepers 323 

Buyers  and  Shippers  of  Grain,  Live  Stock,  etc.  ...      357 

Candy  and  Confectionery 384 

Proprietors  of  Transfer  Companies 632 

Saloonkeepers    652 

Drugs  and  Medicines 695 

General  Stores 736 

Produce  and  Provisions ,756 

Real  Estate  Dealers 762 

Junk  Dealers  794 

Billiard  and  Pool  Room  Keepers 875 

Undertakers 953 

Hotel  Keepers  and  Managers 973 

Coal  and  Wood  Dealers I»I55 

Butchers  and  Meat  Dealers 2-957 

Builders  and  Contractors 3^07 

Hucksters  and  Peddlers 3434 

Truck  Gardeners 4,466 

Grocers  5>55o 

Restaurant,  Cafe  and  Lunch  Room  Keepers 6,369 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  233 

Landmarks  in  Negro  Business  Enterprise: 

1868  The  Fourteenth  Amendment  to  the  Constitution 
adopted.  Legalized  the  right  of  Negroe.s,  any- 
where in  the  country,  to  engage  in  any  occupa- 
tion in  which  other  persons  are  engaged. 

1873  The  Freedmen's  Saving  Bank  and  Trust  Com- 
pany fails.  The  loss  thereby  of  many  millions 
of  dollars  greatly  retards  the  development  of 
Negro  enterprises. 

1880-85  About  this  time  the  operating  of  Negro  beneficial 
societies  developed  into  a  regular  business.  The 
operating  of  industrial  insurance  companies  by 
Negroes  becomes  a  regular  business. 

1888-90  First  Negro  banks  organize.  1888,  the  Capital 
Savings  Bank  of  Washington  begins  business. 
1889,  the  True  Reformers  Bank  of  Richmond 
and  the  Mutual  Bank  and  Trust  Company  of 
Chattanooga  begin  business.  1890,  the  Penny 
Savings  Bank  of  Birmingham  begins  business. 

1900         The  National  Negro  Business  League  organizes. 

1912  First  old  legal  reserve  (old  line)  insurance 
among  Negroes,  the  Standard  Life  of  Atlanta, 
Georgia,  organizes  with  a  paid  in  capital  of 
$100,000. 

Thomas  Hudson,  Valdosta,  Georgia. — Thomas  Hud- 
son owns  and  successfully  operates  three  grocery  stores. 
When  Mr.  Hudson  was  requested  to  tell  how  he  had 
been  able  to  build  up  his  successful  business  enterprises, 
he  replied :  "We  handle  nothing  but  the  best  and  most 
reliable  merchandise,  and  when  the  merchandise  fails  to 


234  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

make  good,  we  make  good.  My  main  store  acts  as  a 
jobbing  house  and  we  buy  very  largely  directly  from  the 
manufacturer  and  supply  our  other  two  stores  at  whole- 
sale prices.  All  credit  accounts  are  handled  from  the 
main  store.  We  have  worked  out  our  own  plan  for 
selecting  locations  for  our  branch  stores  based  upon  the 
actual  living  conditions  of  our  people  in  that  locality." 

Sam  Charles,  Pensacola,  Florida. — Sam  Charles  owns 
two  successful  shoe  stores.  Mr.  Charles  has  been  in 
business  for  twenty-eight  years  and  his  main  store  is 
located  on  the  main  street  in  Pensacola,  where  he  employs 
ten  or  twelve  persons.  His  business  yields  him  an  income 
of  approximately  $7,000  a  year.  His  store  is  patronized 
by  both  white  and  colored  people,  and  in  addition  to  a 
large  mercantile  division  he  also  carries  a  splendid  line 
of  shoes.  His  store  is  well  appointed  and  would  be  a 
credit  to  any  community. 

J.  W.  Wright,  Deland,  Florida.— Mr.  Wright  tells 
the  story  of  his  success  in  his  own  words :  "I  was  born 
and  raised  in  Florida,  going  to  Deland  when  fifteen  years 
of  age,  twenty-five  years  ago,  with  $1.50  in  my  pocket, 
which  was  all  the  money  that  I  had  in  the  world.  I 
began  work  for  75  cents  per  day,  but  in  a  short  while 
was  raised  to  $1.00  per  day.  For  four  years  I  saved 
nothing.  Then  I  got  married  without  a  dollar,  without 
a  home,  and  with  a  $50  debt  for  furniture,  etc.  Since 
that  time  I  have  put  twenty  years  into  citrus  growing, 
having  bought  the  first  five  acres  twenty  years  ago.  A 
short  while  after  Florida  had  been  practically  wiped  out 
by  the  freeze  of  1894-5,  I  bought  this  piece  of  land  for 
$300,  $50  down  and  $50  a  year,  with  interest.  I  suc- 
ceeded in  paying  more  than  a  hundred  a  year,  at  which 
time  I  was  working  for  $5  per  week.  My  wife  was 
earning  a  little  and  we  put  our  mites  together.  The 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  335 

place  was  paid  for  in  less  than  three  years  and  cared 
for.  I  got  my  trees  started,  budding  them  by  lantern 
light  at  night  and  doing  whatever  other  work  I  could 
do  at  night.  This  grove  was  frozen  or  killed  by  the  frost 
three  successive  winters.  Finally  I  decided  to  save  the 
trees  in  spite  of  the  frost.  I  invited  a  half  dozen  or 
more  men  to  come  out  and  help  me  bank  trees  and  have 
dinner  with  me.  We  banked  those  trees  with  sand,  cover- 
ing up  the  whole  tree.  Where  the  tree  was  too  high  we 
bent  it  over  and  covered  it  anyway.  I  went  home  feeling 
that  I  had  "made  safe,"  but  to  my  complete  surprise, 
when  winter  was  gone  and  I  began  to  uncover,  I  found 
that  all  of  my  trees  were  dead,  for  they  died  for  want 
of  air.  However,  I  never  weakened.  Men  of  my  race 
who  doubted  the  wisdom  of  my  continuing  in  the  citrus 
fruit  growing  business  would  come  to  me  and  say:  'The 
white  men  who  have  all  the  money  cannot  raise  an  orange 
grove ;  how  do  you  expect  to  raise  oranges,  you  being 
nothing  but  a  poor  colored  man.'  Then  I  was  more  than 
ever  determined  to  raise  oranges,  but  decided  that  my 
acreage  was  too  much.  I  ordered  lumber  and  built  a 
wall  twenty-five  feet  high  around  one  hundred  trees  and 
a  wall  through  the  center  the  same  height,  making  fifty 
trees  to  the  lot.  This  was  very  expensive  for  one  getting 
only  $28  per  month.  These  hundred  trees  were  fired 
with  pine  wood  whenever  cold  enough.  At  the  same 
time  I  kept  up  the  trees  on  the  outside  of  the  wall  by 
firing.  But  after  a  few  years,  experience  proved  to  me 
that  Nature  must  take  its  course.  My  trees  needed  more 
air  and  more  light,  so  down  went  the  shed.  In  reply 
to  the  kind  suggestion  of  some  of  my  friends  who  thought 
I  would  never  succeed  in  this  business,  let  me  say  that  I 
sold  the  five  acre  orange  grove  in  question,  about  eighteen 
months  ago,  for  $4,000  and  reserved  the  crop,  for  which 


236  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

I  received  $1,800.  As  soon  as  I  began  to  realize  a  small 
profit  on  this  grove,  I  began  to  buy  more,  purchasing  a 
seven  acre  grove  next,  and  so  on  from  year  to  year  until  I 
now  own  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land,  sixty  acres 
of  which  are  devoted  to  citrus  fruit  growing.  These 
sixty  acres  of  citrus  fruit  trees  consist  of  forty-five  acres 
of  bearing  trees  and  fifteen  acres  of  trees  newly  set ; 
or,  in  other  words,  I  have  3,150  bearing  trees  and  1,050 
young  trees." 

Mr.  J.  R.  Barreau,  New  Bedford,  Mass. — Twenty- 
eight  years  ago  when  I  was  a  boy,  fourteen,  and  living 
in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  I  tried  to  learn  the  photographer's 
business,  but  could  not  get  an  opportunity,  even  though 
I  offered  to  work  for  nothing,  but  being  one  of  two  chil- 
dren of  a  widowed  mother,  I  had  to  get  some  work  and 
finally  got  a  job  in  a  wholesale  and  retail  store  where 
window  shades,  curtains,  rugs,  oil  cloth,  etc.,  were  sold. 
My  first  work  was  nailing  caps  on  shade  rollers.  I 
worked  about  three-quarters  of  the  day  at  that,  and  hav- 
ing filled  the  place  where  the  boss  told  me  to  put  them, 
I  asked  him  where  I  should  put  more.  He  told  me  he 
never  had  a  boy  to  fill  that  place  before,  and  would  give 
me  other  work  to  do.  Well,  in  a  little  while  they  found 
out  my  ability  to  hang  curtains  tastefully,  and  put  me 
to  work  making  and  hanging  curtains.  When  I  was  nine- 
teen the  foreman  whom  I  worked  under  was  discharged, 
and  the  boss  asked  me  if  I  thought  I  could  hold  the  job 
down.  I  told  him  I  would  try,  and  he  said  he  would 
give  me  a  chance. 

I  worked  for  him  seven  years,  until  he  went  out  of 
the  retail  business,  then  for  nine  months  ran  a  little  work 
shop  of  my  own,  until  I  got  a  job  as  foreman  of  the 
drapery  department  by  convincing  the  owner  of  "The 
Thompson  Shop" — which  was  then  a  wall  paper  store — 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  237 

that  he  should  specialize  in  draperies  and  rugs  as  an 
"Interior  Decorator,"  which  term  was  just  then  coming 
into  use.  I  worked  for  him  three  years,  and  then  accepted 
a  position  offered  me  in  New  Bedford  as  foreman  of 
workroom  in  a  large  house  furnishing  store.  I  remained 
with  them  fifteen  years,  part  of  the  time  as  foreman,  and 
the  last  few  years,  as  buyer  and  manager  of  their  drapery 
department.  At  the  end  of  that  time  my  present  partner, 
who  is  a  white  man,  and  I,  both  thought  we  would  like 
to  try  doing  business  on  our  own  account,  so  we  entered 
into  partnership  and  for  three  and  a  half  years  have 
done  business  for  the  best  families  in  our  town  as  "The 
Decorative  Shop,"  and  have  specialized  in  wall  papers, 
curtains,  rugs,  furniture,  upholstering,  aesthetic  novelties 
and  in  interior  decorating. 

Mr.  J.  L.  Whitlow,  Farmer,  Tuskegee,  Alabama. — 
I  started  in  life  very  small,  had  no  one  but  myself  to 
help  me;  was  born  and  raised  in  Alabama.  I  worked 
for  a  white  man  at  the  start,  plowing  three  days  and 
hoeing  three  days,  and  going  to  church  on  Sunday,  for 
I  believe  in  worshiping  God  who  gives  us  everything 
we  have,  who  gives  us  strength  to  work,  and  if  we  lean 
on  Him  in  business  He  will  hold  us  up  and  we  will 
prosper.  I  married  early  in  life,  worked  hard  to  make 
a  living,  and  am  the  father  of  fourteen  children.  I  paid 
$800  for  the  first  land  I  bought,  which  was  soon  after 
President  Lincoln  freed  the  slaves,  and  all  my  friends 
thought  I  was  foolish  to  start  in  buying  land,  for  it 
was  said  at  that  time  that  every  slave  that  was  freed 
would  soon  be  given  forty  acres  and  a  mule,  but  I  paid 
no  attention  to  it  and  went  on  and  bought  my  land,  pay- 
ing part  cash  and  the  balance  on  time.  My  wife  worked 
right  along  with  me  and  shared  my  hardships,  stuck  by 
me  through  thick  and  thin,  and  we  not  only  bought  and 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  239 

paid  for  that  land,  but  since  then  we  have  been  adding 
on  to  what  we  had  and  today  I  own  1,537  acres  of  land 
near  Tuskegee  Institute,  Alabama,  raising  mostly  corn 
and  cotton;  have  my  own  steam  gin  where  I  gin  my 
own  cotton  as  well  as  for  other  cotton  raisers;  own 
my  own  sawmill,  and  have  built  my  own  house  for  my 
family  and  myself  to  live  in,  which  is  comfortable,  and 
we  are  getting  along  pretty  well. 

Standard  Life  Insurance  Company. — Concerning  the 
organization  of  the  Standard  life  Insurance  Company, 
Mr.  Harry  H.  Pace,  Secretary-Treasurer,  says : 

The  first  attempt  to  organize  this  company  was  made 
over  five  years  ago  when  Heman  E.  Perry,  born  on  a 
Texas  ranch,  where  his  vision  became  great  by  necessity ; 
who  had  eagerly  read  every  word  that  had  ever  fallen 
beneath  his  eyes  that  was  written  about  life  insurance ; 
who  at  spare  time  had  sold  life  insurance  for  the  Mutual 
Reserve,  the  Fidelity  Mutual  and  Equitable;  who  had 
drifted  to  New  York  and  had  studied  life  insurance  at 
first  hand  in  the  offices  of  these  companies  as  an  em- 
ploye ;  who  had  formed  the  acquaintance  of  actuaries  of 
national  reputation  and  distinction  ;  and  who  had  dreamed 
of  an  institution  of  insurance  owned  and  operated  by 
Negroes,  came  down  to  Atlanta,  on  the  red  hills  of 
Georgia,  and  told  a  group  of  business  men  gathered  at 
the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  that  he  purported  to  start  a  hundred 
thousand  ($100,000)  dollar  life  insurance  company.  Some 
of  those  who  were  present  sat  up  and  gasped.  Surely 
this  young  man  was  crazy,  they  thought.  Some  of  them 
did  not  hesitate  to  even  say  so.  When  he  outlined  to 
them  his  plans,  told  them  his  dream  in  a  simple,  straight- 
forward, earnest  way,  and  explained  to  them  that  the 
least  amount  with  which  they  could  begin  would  be 
$100,000  paid-in  capital,  which  must  be  invested  in  bonds 


BOYD  BUILDING.  NASHVILLE.  TENN. 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  241 

and  deposited  with  the  State  treasurer  for  the  protection 
of  the  policy  holders  of  the  company,  they  could  hardly 
believe  their  ears.  These  men  who  had  been  in  business 
and  in  the  professions  in  Atlanta  for  many  years,  many 
of  whom  had  grown  wealthy  in  the  one  usual  way 
(through  investment  in  real  estate),  who  had  been  ac- 
customed to  seeing  big  things  done  in  their  own  little 
wonderful  city  of  Atlanta,  by  white  men,  were  not  pre- 
pared to  see  a  Negro  with  an  idea  as  big  as  this.  They 
began  to  ask  questions ;  they  did  not  understand  the  mean- 
ing of  those  words  "paid-up"  and  "$100,000."  They 
really  wondered  if  he  didn't  make  a  mistake  and  meant 
$10,000  instead,  and  when  they  finally  became  convinced 
that  this  serious,  sober,  earnest  young  man  meant  every 
word  he  said,  some  of  them  went  home  to  think  the 
matter  over.  Some  few  of  them  never  came  back,  but 
the  talk  of  that  one  meeting  and  what  had  been  said 
was  destined  to  live. 

Little  by  little  the  idea  grew,  and  men  and  women  in 
every  walk  of  life  became  interested  in  what  this  stranger 
was  trying  to  do.  Finally,  when  the  subscription  list 
opened,  there  were  many  who  subscribed  in  good  faith; 
who  made  the  first  payment,  and  gave  their  notes  for 
the  balance.  There  were  some  others  of  our  folk,  and 
we  have  a  good  number  of  them  among  us,  who  are 
professional  subscribers,  who  put  their  names  to  every- 
thing that  comes  along,  and  who  never  really  intended 
paying.  All  of  them,  however,  saw  the  possibilities  of 
an  organization  backed  by  a  capital  of  $100,000,  and 
operated  along  conservative  insurance  lines,  but  they 
didn't  believe  that  that  much  money  could  ever  be  raised 
by  and  among  colored  people,  except  at  a  rally  to  build 
a  church. 

Finally   a   charter   of    incorporation   was    secured,    in 

16 


^4V  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

January,  1909.  Then  began  the  real  struggle.  Up  and 
down  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  entire  Southland, 
through  every  State  from  Virginia  to  Texas,  Mr.  Perry 
traveled  at  his  own  expense  during  the  two  years  that 
immediately  followed,  "selling  stock,"  as  he  used  to  say, 
in  the  "Standard  Life  Insurance  Company."  Tireless 
and  unceasing,  he  endured  all  of  the  hardships  of  South- 
ern Jim  Crow  travel,  obsessed  by  his  dream,  and  the  idea 
that  he  could  succeed  in  raising  $100,000  to  establish  an 
old  line  legal  reserve  insurance  company  among  Negroes 
There  was  a  provision  in  the  subscription  blank  which 
we  offered  to  every  subscriber,  that  not  one  penny  of  the 
money  paid  in  should  be  used  for  the  expenses  of  the 
organization ;  that  if  the  company  was  not  launched  every 
dollar  received  with  four  per  cent  interest  should  be  re- 
turned to  the  subscriber. 

Berry  0  'Kelly,  Merchant,  Method,  North  Carolina.— 
1  will  endeavor  to  state  in  a  few  words  what  I  have  been 
attempting  to  do  and  what  I  have  accomplished  along 
the  line  of  wholesale  merchandising.  In  order  that  you 
may  have  some  idea  of  the  character  of  merchandise 
handled,  let  me  say  that  I  am  a  wholesale  dealer  in 
groceries  and  general  merchandise,  including  flour,  hay, 
corn,  oats,  cotton-seed  meal,  hulls,  dairy  feed,  etc.,  main- 
taining a  warehouse  on  the  Southern  Railroad.  The 
president,  in  introducing  me,  stated  that  I  was  from 
Raleigh,  North  Carolina,  but  really  my  place  of  business 
is  three  miles  from  Raleigh.  I  was  born  in  Chapel  Hill 
not  far  from  that  place;  I  am  now  located  at  Method, 
North  Carolina. 

I  began  business  with  five  dollars.  First  I  was  an 
orphan  boy,  being  deprived  of  both  father  and  mother 
early  in  life,  and  went  to  live  with  my  kind-hearted  aunt 
who  raised  me ;  it  is  to  her  I  owe  a  great  deal  in  shaping 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  -'!:>> 

my  career.  Before  going  into  business  I  went  to  work 
for  $5  a  month.  Sometime  later  on  I  was  persuaded 
to  change  my  employment  and  was  hired  by  a  railroad, 
where  I  worked  for  fifty  cents  a  day  as  "water  toter." 
I  went  there  but  did  not  stay  there  long  because  condi- 
tions were  such  I  could  not  stay  there ;  I  did  not  like  that 
kind  of  life,  so  I  went  back  to  the  same  lady  and  con- 
tinued working  for  her  at  the  handsome  salary  of  $5  a 
month.  Of  course  I  was  young  then  and  at  first  my 
aunty  got  all  the  money  I  made,  all  I  made  was  hers, 
but  later  on,  as  I  grew  older,  I  made  $5  of  my  own 
money  and  though  I  kept  on  working  for  only  $5  a 
month,  by  denying  myself  I  managed  to  save  something 
each  month,  if  only  a  little,  until  I  had  saved  up  one 
hundred  ($100)  dollars,  which  was  a  LONG  TIME. 
After  I  got  $100  saved  up  there  was  a  man,  Mr.  C.  H. 
Woods,  a  liveryman  who  lived  and  his  business  was 
located  very  close  by.  One  time  he  was  sick  and  he  asked 
my  aunty  to  let  me  stay  there  with  him,  which  she  did. 
He  soon  became  attached  to  me  and  finding  out  that  T 
had  $100  he  induced  me  to  become  a  partner  of  his.  I 
bought  half  interest  in  his  business,  paying  the  $100 
cash  down  and  the  balance  on  credit.  Afterward  I  went 
into  the  grocery  business  by  myself,  and  I  found  that 
in  order  to  succeed  in  the  grocery  business  was  to  give 
the  people  the  same  value  for  their  money  as  any  other 
groceryman  was  able  to  give.  After  making  up  my 
mind  and  determining  to  follow  that  method,  I  found 
no  trouble  in  getting  people  to  deal  with  me.  My  only 
trouble  was  to  get  money  enough  to  buy  what  they 
wanted  in  order  that  they  might  deal  with  me.  I  merely 
mention  this  because  I  have  heard  some  colored  business 
men  complain  that  their  race  don't  patronize  them,  when 
they  themselves  have  not  taken  the  proper  steps  to  win 


244  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

or  deserve  their  trade.  Today  my  business  is  prospering, 
my  customers  are  colored  as  well  as  white,  and  to  many 
of  them  I  ship  in  carload  lots. 

Negro  Business  Progress  in  Kansas. — At  a  tecent 
meeting  of  the  National  Negro  Business  League  the 
following  facts  regarding  Negro  progress  in  Kansas  were 
presented : 

Mr.  John  Salem,  of  Hill  City,  Kansas,  has  founded 
a  large  Negro  colony  out  there  and  the  colony  is  called 
Nicodemus ;  it  is  one  of  the  oldest  Negro  colonies  in  this 
country;  I  know  that  because  they  went  there  by  night, 
or  some  night  after  Nicodemus  went  there.  He  reports 
that  he  is  sixty-nine  years  of  age ;  was  born  in  Kentucky, 
and,  by  the  way,  when  you  look  up  the  records,  you  will 
find  that  a  very  large  number,  if  not  the  majority,  of  the 
inhabitants  of  Kansas  were  born  in  other  States.  Kansas 
is  distinguished  by  the  fact  that  it  is  settled  by  men  from 
all  parts  of  the  country  who  evidently  found  there  better 
opportunities  to  live  and  prosper  than  were  available  in 
their  own  native  States.  Kansas,  as  you  know,  is  further 
famous  for  being  the  great  initial  battleground  between 
Freedom  and  Slavery  in  the  time  of  John  Brown,  the 
immortal  hero  of  Ossawatomie.  This  man  was  born 
sixty-nine  years  ago  in  Kentucky,  where  he  got  a  good 
wife  and  came  out  to  Kansas  in  1884,  with  a  family  of 
nine  children ;  he  has  been  a  practical  farmer  for  thirty- 
four  years,  and  among  the  difficulties  he  had  to  overcome 
were  seven  years  of  drouth,  so  that  he  had  to  live  on 
corn  meal,  broom  corn  coffee  and  in  a  dugout  (which 
is  a  hole  in  the  ground  covered  with  trees  and  mud  to 
keep  out  the  wind  and  weather ;  he  reports  that  he  holds 
property  amounting  to  $10,000  in  land,  money  and  live 
stock,  in  addition  to  drawing  a  pension  from  the  Govern- 
ment. 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  245 

Green  Keith,  of  Lawrence,  Kansas,  reports  that  he  is 
sixty-five  years  of  age;  born  in  Alabama;  he  came  to 
Kansas  in  1871 — came  from  Alabama  to  Kansas  and 
got  rich.  He  worked  for  thirty-eight  years,  and  now 
has  a  general  income  of  $1,400  a  year;  total  wealth 
$18,000  in  land,  dwelling,  produce  and  live  stock;  made 
it  all  by  hard  work. 

Mack  Henry,  of  Speed,  Kansas  (that's  out  in  Nico- 
demus  district),  is  fifty  years  of  age;  born  in  Pennsyl- 
vania; came  to  Kansas  in  1871;  took  up  a  homestead 
and  grew  up  with  the  country ;  he  has  accumulated  since, 
in  forty-one  years,  an  estate  valued  at  $50,000,  and  has 
a  general  income  of  $3,000  with  expense  account  $600, 
his  wealth  being  in  land,  money  and  stock. 

W.  E.  Ross,  of  Logansport  (out  there  in  western 
Kansas  where  it  doesn't  rain  much)  ;  he  reports  that  he 
is  thirty-eight  years  of  age ;  born  in  Topeka,  Kansas ; 
has  an  income  of  $800  a  year ;  his  wealth  consists  of 
land  valued  at  $10,000,  made  by  working  land. 

Wesley  Page,  of  Estey,  Kansas,  is  fifty  years  of  age ; 
born  in  Tennessee;  came  to  Kansas  in  1880;  worked 
fifteen  years  as  a  farmer ;  now  has  a  yearly  income  of 
$3,000;  expense  account  $1,800;  his  total  wealth  amounts 
to  $15,000  amassed  by  hard  work,  toiling  in  the  land. 

J.  Beverly,  of  Speed,  Kansas,  reports  that  he  is  sixty- 
nine  years  of  age ;  born  in  Virginia ;  has  ten  ( 10)  children 
barring  other  wealth;  came  to  Kansas  in  1876,  worked 
twenty  years;  has  about  $20,000,  made  by  farming  and 
stock  raising. 

George  W.  Kerfoot,  of  Atchison,  Kansas,  is  fifty-two 
years  of  age;  born  in  Kentucky;  came  to  Kansas  in  1879 
looking  for  health;  having  failed  in  business  because  of 
sickness  he  came  to  Kansas  from  Kentucky,  mark  you, 
and  found  health  and  prosperity;  his  general  wealth  is 


246  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

$28,000 ;  yearly  income  $2,800 ;  in  Kansas  he  accumulated 
$15,000  in  three  years'  time,  being  in  the  quarry  business 
at  Atchison,  Kansas. 

W.  L.  Sayres,  Hill  City,  Kansas  (that's  out  in  Nico- 
demus  district,  too),  is  forty-one  years  of  age;  born  in 
Nebraska;  came  to  Kansas  in  1887  and  commenced 
teaching;  later  he  was  elected  clerk  of  the  District  Court 
at  the  age  of  twenty-two;  assistant  county  attorney  at 
the  age  of  twenty-eight;  county  attorney  at  the  age  of 
forty,  and  at  the  end  of  his  present  term  will  have  been 
county  attorney  for  four  years ;  he  is  county  attorney  of 
Graham  County.  His  father  died  when  he  was  only 
twelve  years  of  age,  since  which  time  he  has  not  only 
taken  care  of  himself,  but  helped  to  take  care  of  the 
family ;  he  has  a  general  income  of  $3,000  a  year ;  total 
wealth  of  $15,000,  represented  in  land  and  other  property, 
with  some  money  invested  in  mercantile  business,  and 
he  enjoys  a  very  good  law  practice. 

James  M.  Wright  is  one  of  the  most  interesting  char- 
acters in  Kansas ;  he  is  forty-six  years  of  age ;  was  born 
in  Oregon ;  came  to  Kansas  in  1870,  and  his  answer  to 
the  question,  "What  special  difficulties  have  you  over- 
come?" was  this:  "I  learned  to  hold  my  job  any- 
where." He  has  a  yearly  income  of  over  $2,000 ; 
total  wealth  $8,000,  represented  in  farming  land, 
other  real  estate  and  stock  in  a  fraternal  insurance  com- 
pany. Mr.  J.  M.  Wright  states  that  what  he  has  is  the 
result  of  systematic  saving,  and  that  is  a  valuable  lesson 
for  all  of  us  to  learn ;  his  career  is  similar  to  that  of  Mr. 
Sayres,  of  whom  I  spoke  a  while  ago;  in  1892  Mr. 
Wright  taught  school,  since  which  time  he  has  held  the 
following  positions:  Clerk,  U.  S.  postoffice  at  Topeka; 
deputy  county  treasurer  of  Shawnee  County,  head- 
quarters at  Topeka,  for  eight  years;  city  treasurer  of 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  247 

Topeka  for  two  years — he  occupied  that  position  when 
1  went  to  Kansas ;  at  present  he  is  deputy  county  clerk 
of  Shawnee  County ;  he  was  raised  on  a  farm ;  received 
a  high  school  education,  a  business  education,  and  spe- 
cialized in  accountancy ;  he  is  also  the  founder  and  presi- 
dent of  one  of  the  leading  fraternal  insurance  companies 
of  our  State.  Mr.  Wright  has  also  recently  established 
in  the  city  of  Topeka  a  fine  moving  picture  theatre  that 
is  meeting  with  abundant  success ;  it  is  one  of  the  cleanest 
and  best  places  of  amusement  in  that  city. 

Mr.  W.  V.  Smith,  a  bachelor,  came  to  Kansas  from 
Mattoon,  Illinois,  many  years  ago ;  worked  for  fifty  years 
as  a  farmer,  and  has  a  yearly  income  of  $2,000  as  the 
result  of  knowing  the  value  of  manure  and  the  best 
fertilizer;  though  an  unlettered  man,  he  is  said  to  be 
worth  over  $30,000  in  farming  land,  live  stock,  and  other 
property  which  he  accumulated  by  "knowing  how  to 
manage." 

A.  C.  Howard,  Shoe  Polish  Manufacturer,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. — As  a  railroad  porter  I  had  saved  up  some- 
thing like  $180;  with  that  $180  I  started  in  business.  I 
began  by  selling  my  blacking  to  railroad  porters,  and 
I  had  a  host  of  friends  among  the  fellows  I  used  to  work 
with ;  that  was  why  I  placed  my  photograph  upon  all  of 
the  boxes,  tins  and  cartons  containing  my  blacking  and 
polish,  because  I  was  very  well  known  among  the  rail- 
road fraternity,  and  in  that  way  a  number  of  them 
recognized  my  goods.  Of  course  some  of  my  friends 
did  not  think  that  a  black  man  could  get  any  farther 
along  in  life  than  a  railroad  man  or  a  Pullman  car 
porter,  but  it  seems  that  other  people  made  demands  for 
A.  C.  Howard's  Shoe  Polish  and  Leather  Dressings.  My 
first  output  was  only  one  dozen  boxes,  which  I  delivered 
with  my  own  hands.  I  used  to  thank  shoe  dealers  and 


248  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

proprietors  of  bootblack  stands  very  profusely  for  even 
giving  my  goods  a  place  on  their  shelves,  but  now  there 
is  a  widespread  demand  for  all  the  shoe  polish,  leather 
dressings  and  dyes,  and  bootblack  supplies  that  my  fac- 
tory can  produce.  The  A.  C.  Howard  Shoe  Polish  Com- 
pany has  a  plant  at  349  Fourth  Street  here  in  Phila- 
delphia that  is  fitted  up  with  the  latest  improved  filling 
machinery,  and  we  have  demonstrated  our  ability  to 
prepare  as  good  an  article  as  "Whittemore,"  or  any  of 
the  oldest  and  best  known  blackings  make.  I  started 
preparing  my  goods  in  a  woodshed,  which  was  on  the 
alley  back  of  my  home.  I  used  to  use  an  old  tin  box 
for  mixing  purposes ;  now  we  have  a  factory  well 
equipped,  and  in  all  the  big  department  stores  of  Chi- 
cago, Philadelphia  and  New  York  Howard  shoe  polish 
has  won  its  place  with  the  standard  stock.  We  are  sell- 
ing our  polish  in  large  orders  to  the  United  States  Gov- 
ernment ;  it  is  being  used  at  Fortress  Monroe,  Fort  Todd 
and  Fort  Hamilton.  I  sold  in  Philadelphia  one  order 
alone  amounting  to  $2.500.  We  were  awarded  first 
prize  at  the  Paris  Exposition  in  1900,  and  also  the  first 
prize  at  the  Jamestown  Exposition  in  1907. 

Henry  Kelley,  Successful  Farmer. — My  first  expe- 
rience in  working  land  or  on  a  farm  was,  when  I  was  a 
boy,  about  ten  or  eleven  years  old.  In  1886  I  married 
and  bought  a  farm  for  myself.  My  farm  had  about  520 
acres  of  land  in  it ;  there  were  about  thirty-five  acres  of 
that  land  in  a  state  of  cultivation  at  the  date  I  bought  it ; 
after  which  I  thought  it  would  pay  us  well  if  we  would 
begin  and  clear  it  up.  I  began  to  cut  down  the  trees,  got 
a  plenty  of  logs  and  built  houses  for  a  year  or  two,  and 
in  1889  I  bought  my  first  steam  gin  to  gin  cotton  for 
ourselves  and  the  general  public. 

Jonas  W.  Thomas,  Farmer  and  Merchant. — I  bought 


PROGRESS    IX    INDUSTRIES.  251 

an  old  horse  for  $45.75,  rented  a  small  farm  of  thirty 
acres  for  1,800  pounds  of  loaned  cotton,  thus  starting 
out  on  the  farm  sea  of  life.  I  continued  in  this  way  for 
four  years  before  I  was  able  to  clear  enough  money  to 
buy  a  mule.  At  the  expiration  of  four  years  I  became 
able  to  buy  a  mule  for  $69,  then  I  increased  my  farm 
seven  acres,  making  thirty-seven  acres  in  cultivation — 
this  increase  was  rented  land,  of  course. 

After  farming  five  years  I  rented  another  farm,  and 
after  managing  two  farms  successfully  the  next  year  I 
increased  it  one  more,  and  continued  to  increase  as  I 
saw  that  I  was  able  to  get  means  and  labor.  Along  with 
my  farming  I  began  to  run  a  commissary,  or  as  some 
people  call  it,  a  "grab." 

From  a  rented  one-horse  farm  twenty-two  years  ago, 
1  am  today  running  fifty-two  plows  with  a  good  many 
running  on  my  own  places ;  and  from  a  "grab"  I  am  now 
running  a  store  and  carrying  regularly  a  stock  of  goods 
valued  at  $4,500.  These  goods  are  in  my  store,  of  course ; 
one  built  at  a  cost  of  $8,520. 

Windham  Brothers,  Contractors  and  Builders,  Birm- 
ingham, Alabama. — Mr.  B.  L.  Windham:  We  employ, 
on  the  average,  one  hundred  (100)  men  all  the  year 
round.  Sometimes  more  and  sometimes  a  little  less ; 
seldom  less.  Our  payrolls  average  two  thousand  dollars 
($2,000)  a  week.  Our  yearly  contracts  amount  to  from 
$250,000  to  $300,000  per  year.  We  have  commercial 
credit  in  the  banks  of  Birmingham.  We  can  procure  the 
necessary  funds  and  finance  our  work  to  the  extent  of 
fifty  thousand  dollars  ($50,000)  without  any  real  estate 
security. 

Mound  Bayou,  Mississippi,  a  Negro  Town. — Mound 
Bayou  was  founded  by  Isaiah  T.  Montgomery  and  Ben- 
jamin T.  Green  in  1887.  From  a  few  settlers  on  a  few 


MOUND   BAYOU    OIL    MILL,    MOUND   BAYOU,    MISS. 


INTERIOR   VIEW    MOUND    BAYOU    OIL    MILL. 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  253 

hundred  acres  it  has  grown  to  an  agricultural  community 
of  30,000  acres,  a  rural  population  of  six  or  seven  thou- 
sand and  a  town  of  1,500  or  more.  It  struggled  along 
as  a  small  railway  stop  and  no  business  connections  or 
stores  of  consequence  until  the  opening  of  the  Bank 
of  Mound  Bayou  in  1904.  Since  that  time  it  has  steadily 
grown  in  importance  as  a  commercial  factor  in  the  busi- 
ness life  of  the  county.  It  has  now  an  A.  M.  E.  church 
edifice  costing  $25,000,  First  Baptist  Church  costing 
$17,000,  an  Episcopal  Church,  Christian  Church  and  M. 
E.  Church.  It  has  a  Carnegie  Library,  one  public  school 
and  two  Normal  schools,  operated  and  under  the  auspices 
of  the  Baptist  and  A.  M.  E.  respectively.  The  Y.  &  M. 
V.  R.  R.  employs  all  Negroes  here,  the  agent,  R.  J. 
Gardner,  a  graduate  of  Walden  University,  Nashville, 
having  two  Negro  girls  as  his  assistants,  one  porter  and 
night  watchman.  The  receipts  of  this  office  were  $9,000 
for  the  month  of  October. 

Mound  Bayou  ranks  sixth  in  the  county  as  a  cotton 
shipping  point,  handling  upwards  of  6,000  bales.  The 
express  office  is  handled  -by  a  Negro,  L.  E.  Jones,  who 
has  one  assistant.  The  Cumberland  Telephone  Company 
maintains  an  exchange,  employing  all  Negro  girls  and  has 
nearly  a  hundred  subscribers.  The  postoffice  is  a  presi- 
dential office.  Mrs.  M.  C.  Booze,  a  graduate  of  Straight 
University,  is  postmistress,  and  employs  three  assistants. 
C.  F.  Bolton  is  president  of  the  bank,  and  D.  A.  Carr,  a 
graduate  of  the  State  School  at  Alcorn,  is  cashier.  F.  H. 
Miller,  a  successful  farmer,  is  vice-president.  The  bank 
had  aggregate  resources  of  $259,681.30  on  October  3ist. 
B.  H.  Creswell,  manager  of  the  Mound  Bayou  Supply 
Company,  a  store  composed  of  one  hundred  farmers,  is 
mayor ;  R.  L.  Clegg  is  marshal ;  J.  W.  Francis,  S.  A. 
Allen,  E.  O.  Powell,  J.  L.  Lee  and  L.  E.  Jones  compose 


MOUND  BAYOU   STATE  BANK. 


OFFICE    MOUND   BAYOU    COTTON    COMPANY. 


PROGRESS    IX    INDUSTRIES.  255 

the  board  of  aldermen.  Jake  Parker,  United  States 
Government  demonstrative  agent,  is  treasurer. 

B.  A.  Green  is  city  attorney,  as  well  as  the  only  attor- 
ney of  the  community,  and  enjoys  a  good  and  growing 
practice.  He  is  a  graduate  from  the  law  school  of 
Harvard.  Drs.  W.  P.  Kyle,  J.  A!  Banks  and  W.  H. 
Broomfield  are  the  physicians. 

The  town  and  community  have  recently  voted  a  bond 
issue  of  $100,000,  and  will  erect  a  $70,000  school  building 
for  a  consolidated  school  district,  build  teacher's  home 
and  purchase  truck  or  car  to  be  used  in  transporting 
children  to  and  from  school  who  live  too  far  to  walk. 

The  Mound  Bayou  Oil  Mill  was  completed  in  1912, 
the  late  Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington  and  Mr.  C.  P.  J. 
Mooney,  editor  of  the  Commercial  Appeal,  being  the 
speakers  on  the  occasion  of  the  opening.  The  plant  is 
considered  by  competent  authorities  as  one  of  the  best 
in  the  State,  and  is  the  only  one  owned  by  Negroes  in 
the  United  States,  and  perhaps  the  world.  It  is  engaged 
in  the  manufacture  of  cotton-seed  oil  and  by-products, 
and  would  cost  today  to  build  over  $250,000.  The  mill 
was  designed  by  a  Negro,  Thomas  Cook,  using  all  Negro 
labor  and  financed  by  a  Negro,  Charles  Banks.  The 
manufactured  output  per  day  is  around  five  to  seven 
thousand  dollars. 

The  Farmers  Mercantile  Company  is  the  leading  store 
of  the  town,  managed  by  E.  P.  Booze.  The  principal 
stockholders  are  I.  T.  and  M.  R.  Montgomery,  Charles 
Banks  and  E.  P.  Booze.  Rev.  A.  A.  Cosey,  pastor  of 
the  First  Baptist  Church,  is  the  leading  minister,  having 
lived  here  for  several  years  and  has  contributed  largely 
to  the  substantial  growth  of  the  town  and  community. 
Other  prominent  ministers  are  F.  R.  C.  Burden  and  S. 
P.  Felder.  The  consolidated  school  is  under  the  man- 


ISAIAH    T.    MONTGOMERY.    STANDING;    CHARLES    BANKS,    SITTING. 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  257 

agement  of  Prof.  J.  H.  Mosley,  of  Alcorn.  Mound 
Bayou  has  three  newspapers — the  News-Digest,  W.  N. 
Lott,  editor;  the  Advance-Dispatch,  Dr.  A.  A.  Cosey, 
editor;  the  Gazette,  Prof.  R.  M.  McCorkle,  editor. 

Mound  Bayou  has  many  beautiful  residences  that  will 
compare  favorably  with  similar  neighboring  towns.  Has 
two  moving  picture  shows,  the  Casino,  F.  H.  Miller, 
proprietor,  having  a  seating  capacity  of  nearly  one  thou- 
sand. It  has  recently  let  contract  for  concrete  sidewalks 
and  now  receiving  gravel  for  its  principal  streets.  It 
has  electric  lights,  supplied  by  a  near-by  town,  Shelby, 
and  has  pure  water  from  a  flowing  artesian  well  of  160 
gallons  per  minute,  several  auto  repair  shops,  pressing 
shops,  billiard  rooms,  drug  stores,  and  one  manufacturer 
of  hair  and  face  preparations. 

Most  of  the  cotton  firms  maintain  colored  representa- 
tives here  as  buyers,  Charles  Banks  being  the  only  Negro 
cotton  broker,  who  also  employs  a  Negro  buyer.  These 
buyers  are  all  experts  in  their  line,  and  their  classifica- 
cations  of  grades  and  staples  of  cotton  pass  satisfactorily 
with  Eastern  spinners.  There  are  four  cotton  ginneries, 
one  each  owned  by  I.  T.  Montgomery  and  R.  M.  Mc- 
Carty ;  the  Farmers  Gin  Company,  J.  A.  Powell,  manager  ; 
and  the  Christmas  Gin  Company,  O.  J.  Christmas,  man- 
ager. 

The  relations  between  the  Negroes  of  Mound  Bayou 
and  their  white  neighbors  are  pleasant  and  friendly. 
There  has  never  been  a  clash  or  disturbance  between 
them,  and  in  all  their  efforts  in  self-help  the  whites 
have  manifested  a  helping  "hand.  Perhaps  the  one  white 
man  standing  out  above  all  others  who  has  done  more 
for  Mound  Bayou  than  any  other  white  man,  and  con- 
tributed most  largely  to  the  harmonious  working  and 
relations  between  the  races,  not  only  in  Mound  Bayou, 

17 


258  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

but  the  entire  county,  was  the  late  Hon.  Thos.  S.  Owens, 
a  resident  of  the  county  seat,  Cleveland.  Mr.  Owens 
died  during  the  flu  epidemic  in  1918,  and  so  dearly  was 
he  esteemed  by  the  Negroes  of  Mound  Bayou  that  the 
floral  design  by  them  was  considered  by  some  the  most 
beautiful  one  to  rest  upon  his  bier. 

Charles  Banks,  Financier,  Mound  Bayou,  Missis- 
sippi.— Charles  Banks  who  born  in  Clarksdale,  Coahoma 
County,  Mississippi,  in  1873.  He  was  educated  in  the 
public  schools  of  the  county  and  Rust  University,  Holly 
Springs,  Mississippi. 

\\hile  Charles  Banks  has  shown  exceptional  ability  as 
a  business  man  by  the  organization  of  practically  all  of 
the  enterprises  of  Mound  Bayou,  yet  the  thing  that 
stands  out  paramount,  which  marks  him  as  a  genius  in 
this  respect,  is  shown  by  his  successful  efforts  in  the 
rehabilitation  and  reconstruction  of  the  Mound  Bayou 
State  Bank  and  the  Mound  Bayou  Oil  Mill  and  Manu- 
facturing Company,  both  of  which  went  out  of  business 
by  reason  of  the  general  depression  at  the  outbreak 
of  the  war  in  1914.  Being  the  foundef  of  the  first  bank 
at  Mound  Bayou,  when  it  failed  in  1914,  undismayed  or 
discouraged,  he  set  about  establishing  a  new  bank,  and 
in  less  than  eighteen  months  he  had  raised  eleven-twelfths 
(11/12)  of  the  entire  capital  necessary  to  start  a  new 
bank,  opening  its  doors  for  business  October  I,  1915, 
which  today  is  one  of  the  strongest  institutions  in  the 
county.  His  rehabilitating  the  oil  mill  is  even  more 
marvelous.  This  plant,  which  is  valued  today  something 
like  a  quarter  of  a  million  dollars,  had  been  thrown  into 
the  hands  of  a  receiver  because  of  the  financial  embarrass- 
ment of  the  lessee.  Mr.  Banks  succeeded  in  disposing 
of  the  receivership,  arranged  to  satisfy  and  pay  off  the 
bonds  held  by  Mr.  Julius  Rosenwald,  the  head  of  Messrs. 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  259 

Sears,  Roebuck  &  Company,  who,  out  of  his  goodness 
of  heart,  had  carried  them  for  years  without  pressing 
the  payment,  helping  the  Negroes  to  hold  the  plant  until 
they  could  get  it  on  a  firm  foundation.  After  negotia- 
tions and  several  trips  to  Chicago,  Mr.  Banks  arranged 
a  basis  of  settlement  with  Mr.  Ros'enwald,  paid  him  the 
money  required  and  then  arranged  for  the  operation  of 
the  plant,  formed  with  one  of  the  strongest  connections 
in  the  Delta,  which  from  present  indications  assures  a 
successful  operation  of  the  plant,  and  removing  all  pos- 
sibility for  loss  to  the  stockholders  in  the  future.  The 
plant  now  is  running  night  and  day,  giving  employment 
to  a  large  number  of  people.  Mr.  Banks  organized  the 
Mound  Bayou  Supply  Company  a  little  over  a  year  ago 
with  one  hundred  of  the  substantial  farmers,  the  purpose 
of  which  is  to  take  care  of  advances  to  farmers  by  the 
year,  which  is  now  largely  done  by  merchants  in  nearby 
towns.  He  has  recently  purchased  something  over  two 
thousand  acres  of  fertile  land  in  the  St.  Francis  Basin 
in  Arkansas,  and  is  now  developing  it  into  a  magnificent 
plantation.  He  also  was  largely  instrumental  in  starting 
another  Negro  colony  south  of  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas, 
under  J.  A.  Patterson,  having  secured  around  40,000 
acres  for  this  project.  He  owns  considerable  real  estate 
in  Clarksdale  and  Memphis,  as  well  as  considerable  farm 
lands  in  and  around  Mound  Bayou.  He  subdivided  and 
platted  two  principal  subdivisions  of  the  town,  known  as 
Banks  Addition,  and  Banks  and  Francis  Addition.  He 
was  a  delegate-at-large  to  the  republican  national  conven- 
tion in  1908-12,  and  is  today  the  leading  factor  in  repub- 
lican politics  among  the  Negroes  in  the.  State.  He  is  a 
trustee  of  Campbell  College,  which  owns  one  thousand 
acres  near  Mound  Bayou,  being  their  rental  agent,  and 
has  collected  this  year  $8,000. 


260  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

Boley,  Oklahoma. — The  exclusively  Negro  town  of 
Boley  is  located  on  the  Fort  Smith  and  Western  Rail- 
road, in  the  heart  of  one  of  the  most  fertile  sections  of 
Oklahoma.  It  was  founded  in  1904  by  Mr.  T.  M. 
Haynes,  a  sturdy  Negro  pioneer.  There  are  from  ten  to 
fifteen  thousand  people  around  Boley.  In  the  township 
proper  there  are  three  thousand.  The  town  is  incor- 
porated and  has  its  own  electric  light  plant  and  water- 
works. Many  substantially  built  and  attractive  residences, 
principally  frame  structures,  reflect  credit  upon  the  home 
life  of  their  Negro  owners.  Boley  has  one  bank  with  a 
capital  stock  of  $20,000;  three  cotton  gins;  a  telephone 
outfit ;  eighty-two  business  concerns ;  a  city  hall ;  a  cham- 
ber of  commerce;  a  splendid  two-story  brick,  stone 
trimmed  high  school,  built  at  a  cost  of  $15,000;  several 
good  churches ;  a  Masonic  Temple  for  the  State  of  Okla- 
homa, worth  $35,000;  a  public  recreation  park;  cement 
sidewalks;  a  Negro  mayor,  a  Negro  postmaster,  Negro 
lawyers,  Negro  doctors,  Negro  school  teachers,  a  Negro 
ticket  agent  and  telegraph  operator,  etc.  Boley  is,  in 
many  respects  a  substantial  evidence  of  the  ambition, 
thrift  and  ability  of  the  Negro  to  look  out  for  himself 
if  given  a  fair  chance.  Its  citizens  have  shown  rare 
pluck  and  "stick-to-it-iveness."  Blessed  with  such  a 
citizenry,  with  railroad  facilities,  productive  soil,  etc., 
it  is  bound  to  grow  and  attract  to  itself  thousands  of 
other  Negro  inhabitants  who  would  themselves  enjoy 
and  give  to  their  children  unlimited  chances  for  develop- 
ment. 

T.  J.  Elliot,  Merchant,  Muskogee,  Oklahoma. — Mr. 
T.  J.  Elliot  is  owner  of  three  successful  stores  which 
carry  a  full  line  of  men  and  women's  clothing,  shoes  and 
furnishings.  His  main  store  is  located  in  Muskogee  and 
is  situated  on  the  main  business  street,  and  is  handsomely 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  £61 

decorated  with  modern  equipment  of  every  kind.  He 
carries  a  full  line  of  up-to-date  and  stylish  merchandise. 
His  other  two  stores  are  located  in  Tulsa  and  Okmulgee, 
Oklahoma. 

S.  S.  Favor,  Fanner,  Shiloh,  Oklahoma. — I  claim  that 
it  is  only  the  exceptional  man  who  can  raise  cotton  year 
after  year  at  anything  like  a  satisfactory  profit,  because 
among  other  things  there  are  seventeen  (17)  different 
varieties  of  cotton  and  seventeen  (17)  different  kinds  of 
insects  and  enemies  to  destroy  your  cotton  while  it  is 
growing  and  maturing.  It  doesn't  pay  to  depend  wholly 
on  cotton  or  any  one  kind  of  crop  for  your  success  as  a 
farmer.  I  claim  that  no  farm  is  complete  unless  you  have 
on  it  some  hogs,  some  cattle,  a  few  mules,  some  chickens 
and  some  calves,  and  unless  you  are  able  to  raise  feed 
for  your  live  stock  and  a  nice  kitchen  garden  for  your 
own  use.  I  have  made  farming  pay  on  two  hundred 
(200)  acres  of  land;  on  this  land  I  raise  alfalfa,  clover, 
corn  and  other  grain  feed,  together  with  from  50  to  75 
head  of  cattle,  20  to  50  mules,  from  100  to  150  head  of 
hogs,  and  I  don't  feel  like  I  have  done  anything  unless  I 
sell  upwards  of  $3,000  worth  of  live  stock  every  year. 
We  keep  close  to  the  market  on  hogs,  and  sell  them  when 
the  market  suits  us  best.  As  a  farmer  I  find  no  prejudice 
against  our  hogs,  for  we  go  to  market  with  the  best. 

Mr.  C.  P.  Combs,  Practical  Farmer,  Oak  Grove, 
Louisiana. — Although  I  never  worked  at  the  carpenter's 
trade,  I  can  build  a  frame  house  valued  anywhere  from 
$1,000  to  $3,000,  and  I  can  paint  the  same  three  coats 
and  give  satisfaction  in  every  particular.  Instead  of 
twenty-five  acres  I  now  own  two  hundred  and  forty 
(240)  acres  of  land.  I  raise  plenty  of  corn  for  my  stock. 
about  40  to  50  bushels  and  sometimes  60  bushels  to  the 
acre ;  we  have  a  fine  farming  country  down  there  around 


262  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACK. 

Oak  Grove,  Louisiana.  Farm  land  sells  now  for  about 
$50  an  acre;  it  is  kind  of  hilly  land,  a  good  deal  of  it, 
but  the  soil  is  very  deep  and  rich  and  black.  I  have  a 
pretty  good  house,  built  it  myself,  and  painted  it  myself ; 
it  cost  me  about  $2,000  to  build. 

Mr.  H.  P.  Ewing,  Truck  Farmer,  Kansas  City,  Mis- 
souri.— I  am  a  truck  farmer  and  have  been  following 
that  business  for  a  good  many  years.  We  have  a  com- 
bination of  Negro  truck  farmers  in  Kaw  Valley,  the 
region  round  about  Kansas  City,  where  we  have  banded 
together  for  mutual  benefit.  We  have  25  acres  of  pota- 
toes to  dig  this  year;  5  acres  of  cabbage  heading  up; 
5  acres  in  onions,  2  acres  of  onion  sets,  2  acres  in  carrots, 
besides  a  number  of  other  things  actually  growing  and 
maturing  each  day,  and  we  have  actually  paid  to  mem- 
bers of  our  own  race,  mostly  school  boys  and  girls, 
$1,166.65  f°r  labor  performed;  this  was  paid  to  them  in 
cash  money.  Farmers  near  by  have  depended  largely 
for  labor  upon  people  who  go  to  the  country,  work  on 
the  farm  during  the  day  and  come  back  to  the  city  every 
night.  We  furnish  work  for  the  colored  boys  and  girls 
who  attend  the  city  schools  and  work  for  us  during  their 
vacation  and  at  odd  times,  thus  helping  along  as  many 
as  we  can  accommodate.  We  keep  two  men  and  five  boys 
on  the  farm  regularly,  and  our  tomato  crop  this  year  will 
bring  us  in  something  like  $2,000. 

Mr.  C.  W.  Gilliam,  Merchant,  Okolona,  Mississippi. — 
Mr.  Gilliam  has  had  a  most  interesting  career,  starting 
in  as  a  bell  boy  at  a  hotel  in  Memphis  at  $15.00  per 
month.  This  was  in  1886,  when  he  left  his  home  in 
Okolona  to  make  "his  fortune."  After  working  at  the 
hotel  for  a  considerable  period,  he  returned  to  his  home 
with  $65.00,  and  later  purchased  a  small  stock  of  groceries 
from  Mr.  T.  W.  Gregory  and  started  business  on  the 


264  I'ROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

main  street.  Mr.  Gilliam  says  concerning  his  business : 
"I  soon  put  in  a  small  line  of  drygoods  and  that  fall 
I  went  to  Memphis,  Tennessee,  to  market  with  Mr.  P. 
Mclntosh,  who  introduced  me.  I  wish  to  say  that  Mr. 
Mclntosh  is  supposed  to  be  the  oldest  Negro  merchant 
in  the  State  of  Mississippi  and  one  of  the  most  successful 
in  this  country.  I  bought  $2,000  worth  of  dry  goods, 
clothing  and  notions,  bought  $500  worth  or  more  of 
shoes  from  a  St.  Louis  shoe  firm.  My  business  continued 
to  grow.  In  1900  Mr.  P.  Mclntosh  and  I  formed  a  co- 
partnership ;  the  first  year  we  did  about  $38,000  or  $40,- 

000  worth  of  business.    Being  a  little  ambitious,  I  thought 

1  could  do  better  by  myself,  so  Mr.  Mclntosh  and  I  dis- 
solved partnership  on  perfectly  friendly  terms  and  remain 
strong  friends  to  this  day." 

He  is  said  to  be  rated  in  the  Dun  and  Bradstreet 
agency  as  a  good  credit  risk  up  to  $20,000. 

J.  T.  Roberts,  Furniture  Dealer,  Evansville,  Indiana. 
— I  started  my  third  year's  business  with  a  stock  of  $500 
with  a  splendid  outlook  for  an  increased  business  over 
the  previous  year.  Having  calls  for  cheap  articles  of 
hardware,  etc.,  I  decided  to  add  to  my  business  a  five- 
and-ten-cent  counter,  which  paid  me  well,  and  at  the  end 
of  1911  I  had  done  $6,188.84  worth  of  business.  I 
started  my  fourth  year  with  a  stock  of  $650  and  ended 
the  year  1912  with  $7,399.00  worth  of  business,  with 
larger  quarters,  a  well-stocked  warehouse,  two  horses  and 
wagons,  increased  hired  help  and  a  second-hand  clothing 
department  annexed.  I  started  my  fifth  year's  business 
with  a  $1,000  stock,  purchasing  a  larger  store  and  ware- 
house at  No.  i  Lincoln  Avenue,  Evansville,  Indiana,  in 
which  to  conduct  our  main  business  and  using  the  old 
site  as  a  "New  and  Second-hand  Clothing  Store"  and 
extra  warehouse.  The  five-and-ten-cent  counter  had 


PROGRESS    IN    INDUSTRIES.  265 

grown  so  I  decided  to  open  a  five-and-ten-cent  store 
adjoining  the  furniture  store.  In  it  we  have  ice  cream, 
a  soda  water  fountain,  cigars,  tobaccos,  stationery,  hard- 
ware, tinware  and  almost  any  small  article  our  customers 
want.  We  did  $10,425.66  worth  of  business  in  1913,  and 
now  the  sign  on  the  building  reads :  "We  Trust  the  Peo- 
ple." 

Robert  L.  Smith,  Banker,  Waco,  Texas,  says  con- 
cerning the  Negro  banks  and  banking  institutions  in  the 
country  for  Negroes:  To  my  way  of  thinking,  the  his- 
tory of  our  Negro  banking  institutions  reveals  more  than 
any  other  business  or  profession,  the  great  and  wonderful 
progress  our  race  has  made  since  the  war.  The  very 
idea  that  men  and  women  who  were  chattels  about  fifty 
years  ago,  or  whose  mothers  and  fathers  were  denied 
an  education  and  were  owned  and  sold  as  slaves,  without 
previous  apprenticeship  or  experience  in  banking,  have 
been  able  to  establish  and  conduct  successfully  nearly 
sixty  (60)  Negro  banking  institutions  now  operating  in 
this  country — I  say  such  a  record  of  progress  has  no 
parallel  in  the  annals  of  human  history.  Instead  of  being 
put  up  for  a  loan  or  sold  as  a  chattel,  like  horses,  cattle 
and  hogs,  they  have  made  good  use  of  their  liberty  by 
engaging  in  almost  every  line  of  industry  and  practically 
every  kind  of  business  enterprise  in  which  white  men — 
their  former  owners — are  now  engaged,  including  even 
the  complex  and  intricate  business  of  banking.  They  have 
taken  advantage  of  educational  opportunities,  and  instead 
of  the  Negro  race  being  almost  wholly  ignorant  and 
illiterate,  they  have  become  for  the  most  part  intelligent 
and,  according  to  official  figures,  the  great  majority  of 
them  can  read  and  write ;  instead  of  being  put  up  for  a 
loan  and  being  sold  themselves,  as  chattels,  they  are  lend- 
ing money,  making  deposits,  owning  and  selling  stocks 


HON.  FREDERICK.  DOU(iLAS3. 


PROGRESS  IN  INDUSTRIES.  267 

and  chattels  and  dealing  in  bonds  and  many  other  forms 
of  securities.  From  former  slaves  or  sons  of  slaves, 
some  of  them  have  become  presidents  of  banks  which  are 
owned,  operated  and  sustained  by  Negroes  and  Negro 
capital.  That  is  the  biggest  change  that  has  come,  the 
most  wonderful  miracle  that  in  my  opinion  has  been 
wrought  among  the  Negroes  of  the  United  States.  It 
shows  or  reflects  more  clearly  than  anything  else  the 
wonderful  progress  we  have  made  in  but  fifty  years  of 
opportunity,  and  we  give  God  credit  not  only  for  our 
emancipation,  but  also  for  this  most  wonderful  miracle 
which  he  has  subsequently  performed. 

David  Chiles,  Farmer,  Topeka,  Kansas. — I  started 
when  I  was  about  eight  years  old ;  I  was  raised  on  the 
farm ;  I  worked  for  a  man  for  wages  for  a  while  until 
I  wanted  to  start  out  by  myself ;  when  I  went  to  the  man 
I  was  working  for  to  get  some  horses  he  never  said  "No," 
and  when  I  started  in  to  buy  a  piece  of  land,  the  man 
I  bought  from  didn't  even  take  mortgage  on  that  land, 
and  I  paid  him  every  cent  I  owed  him  within  a  year's 
time.  That  was  in  1868 — at  Nashville,  Tennessee,  just 
out  from  the  city.  The  next  year  I  had  a  little  better 
sense,  and  made  up  my  mind  to  buy  a  little  more  land. 
And  then  I  started  increasing  from  year  to  year,  some- 
times I  would  rent  land  and  raise  a  crop  until  I  was  able 
to  buy  it.  I  would  raise  different  kinds  of  truck  or 
vegetables  and  would  hire  the  little  boys  and  girls  of 
my  neighbors  to  pick  my  crops  until  I  got  so  I  was  paying 
out  to  them  alone  as  high  as  $25  a  day  for  picking  and 
gathering  in  the  stuff.  I  had  no  trouble  in  selling  all  I 
raised.  When  I  first  started  out  land  was  worth  $15  an 
acre,  and  now  you'll  have  to  pay  $200  an  acre  for  the 
same  kind  of  land. 

Finally  I  made  up  my  mind  to  move  out  West,  so  I 


268  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

come  out  to  Kansas;  sold  out  what  I  had  in  Tennessee 
and  moved  out  to  Topeka,  where  I  bought  land  on  the 
Kaw  River.  The  first  year  I  raised  twenty-eight  carloads 
of  as  fine  a  watermelon  as  you  ever  tasted  and  sold  them 
all  at  something  like  $150  a  carload. 

Mr.  George  W.  Cox,  Manager,  Negro  Insurance  Com- 
pany, Indianola,  Mississippi. — The  Mississippi  Beneficial 
Life  Insurance  Company,  of  Indianola,  Mississippi,  of 
which  I  am  the  assistant  "general  manager,  of  which  the 
late  W.  W.  Cox  was  the  founder  and  financial  supporter, 
has  hammered  and  continued  to  hammer  away  on  these 
things  until  today  it  can  say  more  than  any  other  com- 
pany can  say — whether  owned  and  operated  by  white  or 
black,  doing  business  absolutely  on  the  lives  of  our  peo- 
ple, that  is,  in  Mississippi  alone — it  has  upon  its  books 
over  70,000  paying  policy  holders,  all  satisfied,  represent- 
ing an  actual  premium  income  of  $100,000  a  year.  Upon 
its  books  is  $1,000,000  worth  of  business  in  force,  all  of 
this  upon  the  lives  of  Negroes.  Our  company  carries  two 
separate  departments,  "The  Sick  and  Accident."  and  the 
regular  "Old  Line  Legal  Reserve  Department,"  which 
enables  us  to  hang  our  policies  upon  the  walls  of  every 
Negro  home,  however  humble,  for  we  write  from  five 
cents  to  five  thousand  dollars.  Sometimes  when  our  peo- 
ple are  located  on  the  plantations  of  the  whites,  they 
object  to  Negro  agents  coming  on  their  farms,  but  we  fix 
this  all  right  without  a  hitch. 

We  give  employment  to  over  500  men  and  women  in 
our  State.  We  paid  them  last  year  in  commissions  and 
salaries  over  $35,000.  We  enabled  the  sick  to  secure 
the  best  medical  treatment  to  the  sum  of  $30,000  last 
year.  We  paid  the  undertakers  of  the  State  something 
like  $5,000  for  taking  care  of  the  dead.  That's  good, 
but  the  best  of  all  is  the  most  remarkable  mortality 


PROGRESS  IN  INDUSTRIES.  269 

\ 

that  existed  among  our  risk  last  year,  and  including  this 
year  to  date. 

Mr.  N.  C.  Bruce,  Winner  of  World's  Corn  Prize  at 
the  Panama  Exposition. — Mr.  Bruce  is  principal  of  the 
Bartlett  Agricultural  School.  He  tells  in  his  own  words 
how  he  won  the  world's  corn  prize  at  the  Panama  Ex- 
position : 

In  1912,  by  deep  plowing-in  of  green  crops,  cowpeas, 
red  top  clover  and  other  legumes  in  the  fall,  by  re-break- 
ing disc  harrowing,  smooth  harrowing  and  careful  check 
row  planting  in  the  spring,  after  getting  pure  bred  Boone 
County  white  seed  corn,  and  by  frequent  cultivations  in 
1913,  our  school  won  the  highest  contest  yield  premium 
of  $400,  producing  108  bushels  to  the  acre.  This  was 
at  the  Missouri  Corn  Grower's  Show  where  there  were 
over  two  thousand  (2,000)  small  and  large  white  farmers 
competing  at  the  Missouri  University  in  January,  1914. 

This  1914  top-notch  record  yield  made  it  necessary 
that  His  Excellency,  our  governor,  Elliott  W.  Major, 
appoint  us  as  Missouri's  Top-Notch  Competitor  to  meet 
the  world's  corn  champions  by  States  at  the  Panama- 
Pacific  International  Exposition  at  San  Francisco  in 
1915.  Mindful  of  the  previous  year's  experience,  our 
school  set  to  work  early  with  barnyard  manure,  cowpeas 
and  red  clover,  with  our  muscles  and  brawn  to  beat  our 
1914  yield.  At  times  our  work  ceased  not  by  day  or  night. 
The  result  was  that  from  our  sixty-two  (62)  acre  field 
we  pushed  the  yield  on  some  acres  to  114  bushels  and 
exceeded  100  bushels  on  many  acres,  and  among  the 
world's  corn  growers  at  San  Francisco  we  won  the 
WORLD'S  GRAND  CHAMPION  MEDAL  and  have 
secured  since  over  three  thousand  dollars  ($3,000)  in 
cash  premiums,  together  with  the  praise  and  applause 
of  our  governor  and  of  very  eminent  people. 


2  TO  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

ELIMINATING   THE   COLOR   LINE. 

The  Progress  of  the  American  Negro  in  the  industrial 
field  is  significantly  reflected  in  the  action  taken  by  the 
American  Federation  of  Labor  at  its  Montreal  conven- 
tion in  June  1920. 

A  resolution  was  adopted  instructing  all  affiliated 
organizations  to  eliminate  the  color  line  and  to  admit  the 
Negro  worker  to  membership  on  the  same  basis  as  the 
white  worker. 

Two  Factors  have  contributed  to  this  policy  of  human 
justice — first,  the  increasing  efficiency  of  the  Negro  as  an 
industrial  worker;  second,  the  fact  that  under  the  disabil- 
ities of  the  color  line  the  Negro  was  too  readily  available 
as  a  strike  breaker.  The  first  factor  was  strongly  re- 
enforced  by  the  second. 

THE    NEGRO    AND   THE   THEATRE. 

In  spite  of  the  bitterest  opposition,  the  progress  of 
The  Race  on  the  stage  has  not  been  without  its  cheering 
aspects.  The  Negro  was  not  wanted  in  legitimate  drama, 
and  everything  possible  was  done  to  keep  him  out  of  it. 
Nevertheless  the  career  of  the  distinguished  actor.  Ira 
Aldridge  (1810-1867),  ranked  him  as  the  greatest 
tragedian  of  his  time.  He  played  before  kings,  princes 
and  potentates  throughout  Europe  and  was  showered 
with  honors  and  decorations  wherever  he  went. 

Other  Celebrities. — There  have  been  man}  other 
Negroes  on  the  stage,  both  as  performers,  playwrights, 
and  composers,  among  them  Robert  Cole  (1868-1911), 
Bert  Williams  (see  biographical  sketch,  page  449),  and 
Ernest  Hogan,  but  their  efforts  were  necessarily  limited 
to  minstrelsy,  light  musical  comedy,  and  vaudeville.  In 
the  motion  picture  field  Noble  M.  Johnson  has  starred 


PROGRESS    IX    IXDUSTRIES.  271 

in    such    films    as    "Intolerance,"    "The    Death    War- 
rant," etc. 

True  Negro  Drama. — Thus  an  honest  presentation  of 
Negro  character  has  been  somewhat  of  a  dream — a  dream 
nevertheless  that  must  some  day  come  true.  Evidences 
of  its  coming  are  seen  in  "Granny  Maumee"  and  other 
plays  by  Ridgely  Torrence,  produced  in  New  York  City 
by  a  company  of  colored  players,  also  in  "The  Exile,  ' 
"The  Star  of  Ethiopia"  and  other  Negro  plays  produced 
by  Negro  actors  with  remarkable  success. 

Charles  Gilpin,  as  "Emperor  Jones,"  in  Eugene 
O'Neill's  play  of  the  same  name,  stirred  the  country  by 
his  magnificent  acting,  his  imagination,  and  his  im- 
personation. The  play  was  first  produced  by  the  Prov- 
incetown  players  (white)  in  Greenwich  Village  and  later 
moved  to  an  uptown  theatre  in  New  York,  where  it  ran 
with  packed  houses  for  many  months.  Mr.  Gilpin 
proved  in  a  startling  way  that  a  Negro  can  act,  and  he 
proved  the  fact  for  all  time  to  come. 

The  Shuffle  Along  Company  was  another  of  the  for- 
ward steps  of  1921.  This  company  of  players  had 
phenomenal  success  wherever  they  went. 

A  Chain  of  Negro  Theatres. — Barney  Oldfield  once 
gave  Clarence  Bennett  of  New  Orleans  a  diamond  ring. 
Early  in  1919  Bennett  hocked  this  ring  for  $1,000.00, 
bought  the  Lyric  Theatre  there,  and  opened  it  as  a  play- 
house exclusively  for  Negroes.  Out  of  this  venture  has 
grown  what  is  known  as  the  Theatre  Owners'  Booking 
Association,  which  controls  over  fifty  theaters  through- 
out the  country,  catering  to  ten  million  Negroes,  and 
representing  an  investment  of  over  $5,000,000.00.  It  has 
inspired  and  encouraged  the  development  of  an  immense 
amount  of  astonishingly  good  talent  in  the  Race  that 
was  never  before  suspected. 


HENRY  D.  DAVIDSON,  Principal  Centerville  Industrial  Institute. 
W.  M.  HUBBARD,  Principal  Forsyth  Normal  and  Industrial  School. 
W.  R.  BANKS,  President  Texas  College,  Tyler,  Tex. 
J.  E.   MILLER,   President  Baptist  Normal  and  Industrial   Institute. 
B.  F.  ALLEN,  President  Turner  College. 


CHAPTER  Xm. 

EDUCATIONAL  PROGRESS. 

In  spite  of  most  severe  restrictions  against  teaching  the 
Colored  people  in  the  South  to  read  and  write  every  effort 
was  made  on  their  part  to  secure  an  education  by  stealth — 
a  desire  to  learn  has  been,  from  the  beginning,  one  of  their 
outstanding  characteristics.  Today  we  see  the  results  in 
an  intelligent,  useful,  truly  American  citizenship. 

During  the  Civil  War  under  the  Freedmen's  Bureau 
there  sprang  up  hundreds  of  schools  all  over  the  South 
devoted  to  the  training  of  the  Negro  population.  The 
teachers  came  from  the  North  with  truly  altruistic  motives 
and  the  progress  was  remarkable. 

Almost  immediately  normal  schools  and  academies  for 
higher  education  came  into  existence.  Atlanta  University, 
Fisk  University,  Straight  University,  Howard  University, 
and  Hampton  Institute  are  among  the  nationally  known 
institutions  which  came  about  through  these  missionary 
efforts.  Incidentally  there  evolved  the  Peabody,  Slater, 
Hand,  Jeanes  funds  and  others  to  aid  and  maintain  the 
already  high  standard  of  education. 

The  common  schools  of  the  South  came  into  existence 
through  the  political  power  of  the  Negro  vote  in  the  re- 
construction of  the  new  state  governments  after  the  Civil 
War.  Expenditure  of  time  and  money  on  Negro  schools 
has  been  hopelessly  inadequate  when  compared  with  the 
white  schools,  but  the  following  statistics  indicate  a  de- 
cided change  for  the  better.  In  1890,  39  per  cent  of  the 
Negro  population  was  illiterate.  In  1900  the  rate  dropped 
to  30  per  cent  and  according  to  the  latest  government 

18  273  V 


pq 


O   'S 

£ « 


EDUCATIONAL    PROGRESS.  275 

figures  the  illiterates  now  number  only  18  per  cent  of  the 
entire  Negro  race  in  America.  The  records  of  Phi  Beta 
Kappa  show  that  at  least  36  Negro  students  have  been 
honored  with  membership  in  this  exclusively  honorary  or- 
ganization in  competition  with  white  students  in  our  higher 
educational  institutions.  The  total  number  of  Negro  col- 
lege graduates  is  now  over  7000. 

RECENT  PROGRESS  IN  NEGRO  EDUCATION. 

The  Past  Year  has  witnessed  considerable  progress  in 
the  field  of  Negro  education,  despite  adverse  conditions 
brought  about  by  the  war.  Probably  the  most  significant 
event  of  the  year  was  the  appointment  in  Texas  of  a  state 
supervisor  of  rural  Negro  schools,  whose  salary  and  ex- 
penses are  paid  entirely  by  the  state.  Short  terms,  poor 
schoolhouses,  and  low  salaries  continue  to  hamper  the 
work  of  the  public  schools,  but  the  problem  of  Negro 
education  has  been  called  to  'the  attention  of  the  white 
South  by  the  recent  exodus  of  Negroes  from  that  section, 
and  some  improvement  has  already  been  made.  While 
there  has  been  a  considerable  increase  in  the  actual 
amounts  appropriated  by  the  Southern  states  for  salaries 
of  Colored  teachers,  the  Negro  still  receives  no  greater 
proportion  of  the  sums  expended  for  teachers'  salaries. 
The  official  reports  of  State  superintendents  of  public  in- 
struction show  that  these  officials  are  trying  to  increase  the 
school  facilities  for  Negroes  and  are  calling  the  attention 
of  the  public  to  the  matter. 

Jeanes  Industrial  Teachers. — The  number  of  Jeanes 
industrial  teachers  has  increased,  and  their  work  has  been 
so  effective  that  one  state  superintendent  recommends  in 
his  official  report  that  similar  supervisors  be  employed  for 
white  schools.  The  cooperation  of  the  General  Education 


276  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Board   has    enabled   these   teachers   to    organize   home 
makers'  clubs  during  the  summer  months. 

In  doing  this  home  club  work  the  teachers  give  demon- 
strations of  cooking,  canning,  and  preserving.  The  Gen- 
eral Education  Board  has  also  cooperated  with  the  states  in 
maintaining  supervisors  of  rural  schools  and  in  furnishing 
equipment  for  county  training  schools.  The  county  train- 
ing schools,  supported  by  the  counties  with  the  aid  of  the 
Slater  fund,  have  passed  the  experimental  stage,  and  only 
the  high  cost  of  labor  and  materials  prevented  the  building 
of  additional  schools  during  the  year.  The  Rosenwald 
fund  has  made  possible  the  erection  of  a  number  of  rural 
schoolhouses.  The  Phelps-Stokes  fund,  which  financed 
the  investigation  of  Negro  education,  continues  to  cooper- 
ate with  the  Bureau  of  Education.  Its  work  has  been  the 
maintenance  of  an  information  bureau,  giving  expert 
advice  to  schools  and  keeping  before  the  public  the  edu- 
cational needs  of  the  Negro.  The  table  here  given  shows 
the  extent  of  the  work  done  by  the  Jeanes  fund  and  how  it 
is  financed : 

NEGRO  RURAL  SCHOOL  FUND,  JEANES  FOUNDATION,  1918-19. 

States             Number  of  Number  of          Paid  by  Paid  by 

Teachers  Counties      Jeanes  Fund    Public  Fund 

Alabama    24  23  $5,223.00  $3.806.83 

Arkansas    20  ia                2,928.75  7,750.00 

Florida    4  4                 1,055.00  612.00 

Georgia   24  24                3,810.00  3,060.00 

Kentucky    9  9                 1,995.00  1,065.00 

Louisiana    15  14                 4,185.00  2,848.00 

Mississippi    26  25                 4,110.00  6,535.00 

North  Carolina..  39  39                 5,815.00  7,665.00 

South  Carolina..   14  14                 3,465.00  1,708.00 

Tennessee   20  21                 3,557.50  5,110.00 

Texas    6  6                 1,540.00  1,300.00 

Virginia    16  18                 2,973.00  3,132.00 


Total 217  216  $40,657.25  $44,591.83 

State    Supervisors.— At  present  10  states,  with  the  as- 
sistance   of    the    General    Education    Board,    maintain 


280  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

supervisors  of  Negro  rural  schools.  Oklahoma  and 
Florida  are  the  only  states  with  a  considerable  proportion 
of  Negroes  that  have  no  special  supervisor.  In  Texas  the 
supervisor  is  paid  entirely  by  the  state. 

The  work  of  the  state  supervisors  may  be  briefly  sum- 
marized under  four  heads:  (i)  The  improvement  of 
school  facilities,  by  urging  county  superintendents  and 
boards  of  education  to  extend  school  terms,  pay  better 
salaries  and  provide  better  houses.  (2)  The  development 
of  county  training  schools,  maintained  by  the  counties  with 
the  help  of  the  Slater  fund.  The  first  object  of  these 
schools  is  to  train  teachers  for  the  rural  schools.  In  offer- 
ing some  high-school  work  and  industrial  training,  these 
schools  are  rendering  a  large  service.  (3)  The  improve- 
ment of  teachers  in  service  by  conducting  county  institutes, 
and  cooperating  with  State  normal  schools  and  summer 
schools  conducted  by  private  institutions.  (4)  The  pro- 
motion of  home-makers'  clubs.  In  North  Carolina  and 
Mississippi  the  state  supervisor  has  a  Colored  man  to  as- 
sist him  in  his  work.  In  North  Carolina  the  salary  of  this 
assistant  is  paid  by  the  State  Colored  Teachers'  Associ- 
ation ;  in  Mississippi  it  is  paid  by  the  state.  The  work  of 
these  assistants  has  been  of  great  value. 

County  Training  Schools. — At  present  there  are  77  of 
these  institutions  and  several  others  will  be  erected  as  soon 
as  the  abnormal  price  conditions  of  war  times  have  passed. 
They  are  divided  among  the  states  as  follows :  Alabama, 
ii ;  Arkansas,  5;  Florida,  i;  Georgia,  5;  Kentucky,  2\ 
Maryland,  i ;  Louisiana,  4 ;  Mississippi,  3 ;  North  Carolina. 
14 ;  South  Carolina,  6 ;  Tennessee,  6 ;  Texas,  5  ;  Virginia,  8. 
These  schools  are  built  and  maintained  by  the  combined 
efforts  of  the  public-school  authorities,  the  Slater  Fund, 
the  Colored  people  of  the  country  and  the  local  white 
friends  of  Negro  education. 


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282  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

One  of  the  greatest  immediate  needs  is  for  even  fairly 
competent  teachers  in  the  small  public  schools.  The  Slater 
fund  has  contributed  much  to  the  preparation  of  teachers, 
but  in  the  past  its  contributions  in  this  direction  have  been 
mainly  to  the  larger  and  higher  institutions.  There  is  now 
great  need  for  the  preparation  of  teachers  in  a  lower  grade 
of  advancement.  The  immediate  conditions  under  which 
such  work  must  be  done  may  be  far  from  ideal,  but  the 
effort  faces  facts  as  they  are.  It  is  a  fact  that  a  very  large 
majority  of  the  teachers  in  the  small  rural  schools  for 
Negroes  have  got  what  they  have  of  education  and  training 
in  their  own  neighboring  county.  Many  superintendents 
are  showing  interest  in  the  improvement  of  some  central 
school  in  the  county,  which  may  serve  the  purpose  of  sup- 
plying a  somewhat  better  grade  of  teachers. 

Aid  from  the  Slater  fund  is  given  on  the  following 
simple  conditions : 

First.  That  the  school  property  shall  belong  to  the  state 
or  county,  thus  fixing  the  school  as  a  part  of  public-school 
system. 

Second.  That  there  shall  be  an  appropriation  of  at  least 
$750  from  the  public  funds  for  maintenance. 

Third.  That  the  teaching  shall  be  carried  strictly  and 
honestly  through  at  least  the  eighth  grade,  including  in- 
dustrial work,  and  in  the  last  year  some  training,  however 
elementary,  for  the  work  of  teaching. 

Under  these  conditions  the  Slater  fund  has  agreed  to 
appropriate  $500  for  maintenance,  and  in  the  first  year, 
where  new  buildings  or  repairs  may  be  necessary,  to  aid  in 
supplying  these  in  cooperation  with  amounts  raised  from 
other  sources. 

Rosenwald  Schools. —  The  Rosenwald  fund  is  avail- 
able for  assistance  in  constructing  model  Colored  school 
buildings,  in  cooperation  with  local  communities  and 


284  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

county  authorities.  This  fund  is  offered  for  the  purpose 
of  encouraging  the  construction  of  modern  model  school  - 
houses.  Such  houses  will  doubtless  improve  the  kinds  of 
residences  of  the  people  and  tend  tc  elevate  the  moral  and 
civic  ideals  of  the  people. 

Upon  compliance  with  the  following  conditions,  partici- 
pation in  the  Rosenwald  fund  is  possible : 

1.  The  schoolhouse  is  to  be  for  country  children,  and 
small  towns  may  be  interested. 

2.  From  two  to  five  acres  of  land  are  to  be  secured  by 
the  Colored  people,  at  a  place  approved  by  the  school 
board,  and  the  property  is  to  be  deeded  to  the  board  of 
education  for  Colored  school  purposes. 

3.  The  county  superintendent,  the  patrons,  and  the 
Rosenwald  fund  are  to  agree  upon  a  plan  of  building. 

4.  The   superintendent   of    schools   shall   handle  the 
funds  and  direct  the  construction  of  the  building. 

5.  The  community  and  county  authorities  must  guar- 
antee the  completion  and  equipment  of  the  building.    The 
house  shall  be  painted  inside  and  outside  with  at  least  two 
coats  of  paint ;  each  classroom  must  contain  at  least  20 
lineal  feet  of  good  blackboard  and  have  suitable  desks  for 
pupils  and  teacher ;  the  building  must  contain  at  least  two 
cloakrooms,  a  workroom  and  a  small  kitchen.    The  smoke 
flues  must  be  built  from  the  ground. 

6.  Two  closets,  properly  located,  must  be  built. 

7.  It  is  understood  that  the  school  shall  be  run  at  least 
five  months  each  year. 

Propositions. — For  a  one-teacher  schoolhouse  the  com- 
munity and  county  authorities  must  raise  in  cash,  material 
and  labor,  $750.  The  Rosenwald  fund  will  contribute 
$400. 

For  a  two-teacher  house  the  community  and  county 


I'ALMER     MEMORIAL    INSTITUTE,    SEDALIA,    N.    C. 


RUST    COLLEGE,    HOLLY    SPRINGS,    MISS. 


EDUCATIONAL    PROGRESS.  287 

authorities  will  raise,  as  above,  $1,000.  The  Rosenwald 
fund  will  give  $500. 

In  cases  of  consolidation  of  two  or  more  schools  the 
Rosenwald  fund  will  contribute  more. 

The  Rosenwald  fund  is  handled  by  the  extension  depart- 
ment of  Tuskegee  Institute.  According  to  the  latest  avail- 
able information  a  total  of  501  schoolhouses  have  been 
built  at  a  cost  of  $726,000.00  of  which  Mr.  Rosenwald  has 
contributed  $193,616.00.  Additional  expenses  paid  by  Mr. 
Rosenwald  amount  to  about  $25,000.00. 

Phelps-Stokes  Fund. — For  the  past  five  years  the 
Phelps-Stokes  fund  has  financed  a  staff  of  workers  in  the 
Bureau  of  Education.  One  member  of  the  staff  who  is 
trained  in  business  methods  and  accounting  gives  all  his 
time  to  the  improvement  of  accounts  and  records  in  the 
schools.  Schools  have  been  given  assistance  in  their  efforts 
to  adapt  their  courses  to  the  needs  of  their  pupils  and  com- 
munity. Fraudulent  Negro  schools  have  been  exposed, 
and  the  needs  of  worthy  institutions  brought  to  the  atten- 
tion of  interested  persons.  A  bureau  of  information  has 
been  maintained.  Campaigns  for  the  teaching  of  garden- 
ing and  for  the  improvement  of  living  conditions  in  dorm- 
itories have  been  carried  on.  The  fund's  agents  have  kept 
in  touch  with  educational  boards  of  the  various  churches, 
other  educational  funds,  the  public-school  authorities  in 
the  several  states,  independent  schools  and  land-grant  col- 
leges, and  have  endeavored  to  have  these  agencies  coordin- 
ate their  efforts.  Individual  schools  have  been  given 
financial  aid  for  maintenance.  Fellowships  for  the  study 
of  the  race  question  have  been  established  at  two  state 
universities  in  the  South. 

PUBLIC  SCHOOL  FACILITIES. 

The  public  schools  for  Negroes  in  the  South,  especially 


*     I 


EDUCATIONAL    PROGRESS.  289 

in  those  counties  where  the  Negroes  outnumber  the  white 
people,  are  not  doing  efficient  work,  because  of  the  small 
salaries  paid  to  teachers,  short  terms,  and  poor  school 
buildings.  In  the  annual  report  of  the  Alabama  Depart- 
ment of  Education  we  find  the  statement  that : 

The  amount  paid  for  salaries  in  the  public  schools  of  the 
state  amounts  to  $3,145,604  for  white  teachers — an  aver- 
age annual  salary  of  $431  for  each  man  and  $363  for  each 
woman,  almost  precisely  what  they  were  the  year  before, 
and  despite  the  fact  that  the  high  cost  of  living  is  con- 
stantly increasing.  In  the  schools  for  negro  children  last 
year  641  men  and  1,931  women  were  employed.  There  was 
a  slight  decrease  in  the  number  of  both  men  and  women 
due  to  the  egress  of  Negroes  to  other  states.  There  was 
expended  in  the  form  of  salaries  upon  the  teachers  so 
employed  $399,970,  a  decrease  of  $20,185  from  the  pre- 
ceding year.  The  average  salary  paid  to  each  man  was 
$167,  and  to  each  woman  $152,  and  the  length  of  the 
school  term  was  104  days. 

From  the  above  quotation  it  will  be  seen  that  the  super- 
intendent of  education  in  Alabama  explains  the  decrease  in 
the  number  of  Negro  teachers  and  pupils  by  the  migration 
of  Negroes  from  the  South.  The  white  men  and  Colored 
men  who  have  investigated  the  movement  are  agreed  that 
the  poor  public-school  facilities  were  among  the  most  im- 
portant causes  of  the  exodus. 

The  following  table  shows  the  increases  in  the  amounts 
appropriated  for  the  salaries  of  Negro  teachers  in  five  of 
the  Southern  states.  It  will  be  seen  that,  while  in  every 
case  there  has  been  an  actual  increase,  there  has  been  very 
little  increase  in  the  proportion  of  the  total  salaries,  and  in 
the  case  of  Florida  and  North  Carolina  there  has  been 
actual  decreases  in  the  proportion.  In  considering  the 
figures  in  the  table  it  should  be  remembered  that  between 

19 


A   SPECIAL   CLASS   IN    BASKET    MAKING. 


TEACHING    COOKING,    CENTERVILLE    INDUSTRIAL    INSTITUTE,    CENTER- 
VILLE,    ALABAMA. 


292 


293 


294 


PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 


1900  and  1910  the  white  population  of  the  southern  states 
increased  faster  than  the  Colored  and  it  is  only  reasonable 
to  assume  that  this  has  been  the  case  since  1910 : 

INCREASE  IN  SALARIES  OF  NEGRO  TEACHERS  IN  FIVE  STATES. 


States 

Date 
of 
report 

Salaries 

Per 
cent  of 
total 

Date 

of 
report 

Salaries 

Per 

cent  of 
total 

Florida    

1910-11 

$167,381 

14.2 

1916 

$214291 

11  6 

Georgia   

1911-12 

483,622 

14.3 

1917 

555  822 

148 

Louisiana     
North  Carolina 
Virginia    

1911-12 
1910-11 
1911-12 

211,376 
340,856 
421,381 

7.0 
16.6 
13.2 

1915 
1916 
1916-17 

263,515 
563,273 
626,555 

7.6 
14.1 
14.7 

Recent  Publications. — From  time  to  time  various  state 
departments  of  education  issue  pamphlets  showing  the 
progress  that  has  been  made  in  Negro  education.  As  rep- 
resentative of  these,  Bulletins  9  and  10  of  the  Georgia 
Department  of  Education  may  be  cited.  These  leaflets 
contain  the  reports  of  the  Home  Makers'  Club  workers 
and  the  Jeanes  Industrial  Teachers.  The  Department  of 
Public  Instruction  in  North  Carolina  issues  a  "Monthly 
Progress  Letter"  reporting  the  activities  of  field  workers 
in  that  state.  The  most  significant  publication  of  the  year 
is  one  issued  by  the  Louisiana  Department  of  Education 
entitled  "Aims  and  Needs  in  Negro  Public  Education  of 
Louisiana."  It  is  a  frank  and  fearless  discussion  of  the 
problem. 

It  may  be  well  to  point  out  here  that  in  some  sections  or 
the  state  the  Negro  is  not  receiving  for  the  education  of 
his  race  the  direct  school  taxes  that  he  contributes.  To  fail 
to  grant  him  this  amounts  to  confiscation.  Segregation  of 
funds  or  taxes  for  the  two  races  is  undesirable,  but  let  us 
allow  him  what  he  is  clearly  entitled  to.  Surely  this  in- 
cludes a  just  share  of  state  taxes,  a  just  share  of 
corporation  taxes,  all  fines  that  his  race  pays,  and  the 
indirect  school  taxes  that  he  pays  as  renter  and  as  laborer 
in  helping  to  produce  the  wealth  of  the  state.  In  dealing 


PHILLIPS     HALL,    TEXAS    COLLEGE,    TYLER,    TEXAS. 


NEW    ORLEANS    COLLEGE,    NEW    ORLEANS,    LA. 


EDUCATIONAL   PROGRESS.  299 

with  this  question  we  must  learn  to  apply  the  same  stan- 
dards of  honesty  and  fairness  that  we  use  in  dealing  with 
the  different  white  schools  and  white  communities.  Only 
through  the  exercise  of  justice  and  fair  play  may  we  expect 
justice  and  fair  play  in  return,  and  as  a  result  of  this,  good 
feeling  and  good  citizenship. 

Educational  Meetings. — The  National  Association  of 
Teachers  in  Colored  Schools  held  its  fifteenth  annual  meet- 
ing at  Harper's  Ferry,  W.  Va.,  July  31  to  August  2..  This 
was  the  most  important  educational  gathering  of  the  year. 
A  number  of  state  teachers'  associations  met  during  the 
year.  These  associations  have  worked  to  raise  the  stan- 
dard of  the  teaching  profession,  and  have  cooperated  with 
state  superintendents  in  many  ways.  On  account  of  war 
conditions,  the  Association  of  Colleges  for  Negro  Youth 
was  unable  to  hold  its  annual  meeting. 

Church  Boards. —  The  American  Baptist  Home  Mis- 
sion Society  has  adopted  the  policy  of  concentrating  its 
efforts  at  one  or  two  schools  in  a  state,  and  has  therefore 
withdrawn  its  aid  from  some  schools  where  the  public 
school  facilities  become  adequate,  and  increasing  the  sup- 
port of  other  institutions.  The  Freedmen's  Aid  Society  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  has  discontinued  its 
appropriation  to  Walden  College,  at  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and 
the  property  of  Walden  has  been  given  to  Meharry  Medi- 
cal College.  The  board  has  decided  to  sell  the  property  of 
New  Orleans  College,  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  and  of  Gilbert 
Industrial  Institute,  at  Baldwin,  La.  Only  one  school  will 
be  maintained  by  this  board  in  Louisiana.  It  will  be 
located  in  a  section  where  a  secondary  school  is  needed. 

The  Christian  Woman's  Board  of  Missions  now  main- 
tains five  schools  and  property  has  been  purchased  for 
another  one.  The  Presbyterian  Board  of  Missions  to  the 
Freemen  reports  new  presidents  at  two  schools  maintained 


BENEDICT    COLLEGE,    COLUMBIA,    S.    C. 

Above  and  Below — Campus  Scenes. 
Center — Nurses  and  Superintendent. 


302  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

by  the  board.  The  Society  of  Friends  has  determined  on 
the  policy  of  enlarging  the  Cheyney  Training  School  for 
Teachers,  at  Cheyney,  Pa.  The  American  Church  Institute 
for  Negroes  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church  reports  a 
growing  appreciation  of  the  importance  of  accurate  ac- 
counting and  businesslike  administration  in  the  schools 
under  its  control. 

The  educational  boards  of  the  African  Methodist 
Church,  the  A.  M.  E.  Zion  Church  and  the  Colored 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  have  given  evidence  of  their 
willingness  to  improve  the  accounting,  buildings,  and 
supervision  of  students  in  the  schools  under  their  control. 

Private  and  Denominational  Schools. — Most  of  the 
secondary  schools  for  Negroes  in  the  South  are  supported 
by  private  philanthropy.  These  schools  are  largely  de- 
nominational and  have  some  assured,  though  inadequate, 
support  from  the  churches  back  of  them. 

Some  Negro  schools  are  well  known  and  have  many  in- 
fluential friends.  But  many  worthy  schools  both  of  the 
academic  and  industrial  type  have  no  income  except  from 
donations.  They  need  money  urgently,  not  only  for  the 
necessary  work  they  have  been  doing  for  years,  but  par- 
ticularly to  provide  the  special  training  imperatively 
needed  for  large  numbers  of  Colored  people  in  the  recon- 
struction emergency. 

First  Research  Grant. — The  National  Academy  of 
Sciences  operating  under  the  Congressional  Charter,  the 
highest  scientific  body  in  America,  has  just  announced  that 
it  will  provide  a  grant  for  the  research  of  Dr.  Ernest  E. 
Just  in  the  field  of  Physiology  of  Development  at  Howard 
University.  This  is  the  National  Research  Council's  first 
grant  in  the  field  of  biology.  It  is  in  signal  honor  to  the 
Negro  people  of  America,  because  it  reminds  us  once  more 
that  the  competitions  of  intellect  know  no  color  line.  Dr. 


EDUCATIONAL   PROGRESS. 


Just,  concerning  whom  more  appears  in  another  section, 
has  made  a  remarkable  record  in  his  chosen  work.  He 
is  a  member  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa  and  was  awarded  the  first 
Spingarn  Medal  by  Gov.  Whitman  in  1915. 


Knowles  Building. 


Boys'  Hall. 


Stone  Hall.  Girls'  Hall.  Model  Home. 


ATLANTA      UNIVERSITY. 


TYPES    OF    MODERN     NEGRO    ARCHITECTURE. 


CHARLES   M.   MELKEX,    PRESIDENT   NEW   ORLEANS  COLLEGE,    M  \\ 
ORLEANS,   LA. 

Author  of  Chapter  XIV. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

RELIGION  AND  THE  NEGRO. 

Written   Expressly   for   This  Book  by  Charles  M.   Melden,  D.  D.,   President 
of  New   Orleans   University. 

A  common  fallaey  against  which  a  writer  should  guard 
himself  is  that  of  drawing  universal  conclusions  from 
particular  premises.  Generalizations  are  frequently  based 
on  very  narrow  inductions.  This  is  apt  to  be  the  case 
in  dealing  with  peoples  and  races.  Types,  representative 
of  the  whole,  are  not  so  plentiful.  The  typical  American, 
the  typical  Briton,  Frenchman,  German,  exists  only  in 
the  fertile  imagination  of  the  person  who  uses  the  term. 
The  old  proverb  "ab  uno  disce  omnes"  cannot  without 
great  qualification  be  applied  to  ethnic  traits.  This  is 
peculiarly  true  of  the  Negro. 

Many  Negro  Races. — The  Negro  is  not  one  but  many, 
not  simple  but  complex,  not  local  but  widely  distributed, 
not  homogeneous  but  divergent.  The  old  song  "They  All 
Look  Alike  to  Me"  reveals  the  superficiality  of  the  ob- 
server rather  than  describes  the  monotony  of  the  subject. 
There  is  the  same  variety  among  Negroes  that  we  find 
among  other  races.  The  word  Negro  has  a  wide  denota- 
tion. It  embraces  all  dark-skinned  peoples  whose  original 
home  is  in  the  inter-tropical  and  sub-tropical  regions  of 
the  Eastern  hemisphere,  stretching  roughly  from  the 
Senegambia  to  the  Fiji  Archipelago  lying  north  and  south 
between  the  extreme  parallels  of  the  Philippines  and 
Tasmania.  From  this  can  be  seen  how  numerous,  wide- 
spread and  complex  the  Negroid  races  are.  They  differ 
in  appearance,  in  color,  in  physical  development,  in  degree 
of  civilization,  in  temperament,  in  intellectual  ability  and 
attainment,  in  morals  and  religion.  Mr.  Smythe,  United 

307 


BISHOP   I.    B.    SCOTT. 


(C)    C.    M.    Battey. 


RELIGION    AND    THE    NEGRO.  309 

States  Minister  to  Liberia,  says  he  has  personal  knowl- 
edge of  two  hundred  tribes  on  the  west  coast  of  Africa 
alone,  and  describes  them  as  more  unlike  in  their  char- 
acteristics than  the  French  and  German.  -These  differ- 
ences have  been  transferred  to  America  and  perpetuated. 
Moreover,  there  has  been  quite  a  large  intermixture  of 
Caucasian  blood,  carrying  with  it  the  faults  and  excel- 
lencies of  the  strain. 

These  considerations  show  how  difficult  it  is  to  char- 
acterize the  colored  people  as  a  whole.  Too  often  no 
attempt  is  made  to  differentiate,  and  all  Negroes  are 
grouped  indiscriminately  together.  The  man  of  culture 
of  high  ideals,  of  upright  life,  of  polished  manners,  is 
confounded  with  the  lowest  and  most  ignorant,  the  most 
degraded  and  brutal.  This  works  a  grave  injustice  to 
the  aspiring  and  advanced  members  of  the  race. 

In  treating  of  the  religion  of  the  Negro  these  facts 
must  be  borne  in  mind.  It  will  be  difficult,  if  not  impos- 
sible within  the  limits  of  a  chapter,  to  discuss  exhaus- 
tively this  important  subject.  To  do  this  would  require 
researches  into  tribal  and  national  customs  for  which  we 
have  not  the  space.  Nevertheless,  in  spite  of  individual 
traits,  we  may  discover  certain  general  characteristics 
which  may  help  us.  There  are  racial  qualities.  How- 
ever individuals  may  differ  in  physical  appearance,  they 
still  have  sufficient  resemblance  to  identify  them  with 
their  race.  Thus  we  may  trace  among  the  mental  and 
moral  peculiarities  of  individuals  certain  racial  char- 
acteristics. In  this  lies  our  hope  as  we  attempt  to  study 
the  religion  of  the  Negro. 

We  can  better  appreciate  the  present  religious  condi- 
tion of  the  people  if  we  glance  at  their  history.  The 
American  Negro  looks  to  Africa  as  his  ancestral  home. 
His  forefathers  lived  very  largely  along  the  west  coast 


310  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

of  that  continent.  He  has  inherited  many  of  his  religious 
beliefs  and  customs  from  them. 

Religion  Founded  on  Superstition. — The  religion  of 
the  native  African  was  a  kind  of  animism  or  fetichism. 
"The  world  is  full  of  spirits — spirits,  of  the  rivers,  the 
mountains  and  the  woods.  Most  important  were  the 
ghosts  of  the  dead  who  had  power  to  injure  or  help  the 
living  and  who  were  therefore  propitiated  by  offerings 
at  stated  periods  as  well  as  on  occasions  when  their 
aid  was  specially  desired."  (Bryce.)  This  sense 
of  spirit  presences,  malevolent  and  benevolent,  de- 
veloped a  persistent  fear  upon  which  the  medicine  man 
or  witch  doctor  played.  He  claimed  supernatural  powers. 
By  means  of  charms  and  incantations  he  withstood  the 
attacks  of  evil  spirits  and  protected  his  favored  ones. 
This  gave  him  great  influence  over  the  ignorant  and 
simple-minded  people  which  he  used  for  his  own  prefer- 
ment and  emolument. 

The  Over  God. — From  out  the  all  but  universal  dark- 
ness one  may  catch  a  gleam  of  light,  dim,  it  is  true, 
and  uncertain,  but  apparently  coming  from  the  original 
source,  viz.,  certain  tendencies  toward  polytheism  and 
even  monotheism.  Miss  Kingsley  says,  "The  African 
has  a  great  Over  God."  Nassau,  the  missionary,  affirms. 
"Standing  in  the  village  street  surrounded  by  a  company 
whom  their  chief  has  courteously  summoned  at  my 
request  when  I  say  'I  have  come  to  speak  to  your  people.' 
I  do  not  need  to  begin  by  telling  them  that  there  is  a  God. 
Looking  on  that  motley  assemblage  of  villagers  the  bold, 
gaunt  cannibal,  with  his  armament  of  gun,  spear  and 
dagger ;  the  artisan  with  rude  adze  in  hand,  or  hands 
soiled  at  the  antique  bellows  of  village  smithy ;  women 
who  have  hasted  from  the  kitchen  fire  with  hands  white 
with  the  manioc  dough  or  still  grasping  partly  scaled  fish ; 


BISHOP    C.    H.    PHILLIPS,    NASHVILLE,    TENN. 

(C)    C.    M.    Battey 


BISHOP    GEORGE    W.    CLINTON. 


(C)    C.    M.    B«tUy. 


RELIGION    AND   THE    NEGRO.  313 

and  children  checked  in  their  play  with  tiny  bow  and 
arrow,  or  startled  from  their  dusty  street  pursuit  of  dog 
or  goat.  I  have  yet  to  be  asked,  'Who  is  God  ?' " 

This  conception  of  the  "Over  God"  has  nothing  of  the 
Christian  content  in  it.  He  is  remote  and  to  be  dis- 
regarded or  feared  rather  than  loved  and  worshipped. 
Weatherford  thus  sums  up  his  study  of  the  African's 
religion :  "A  God  who  created  man  and  is  supreme  but 
who  has  gone  away  into  a  corner  of  the  universe  and  is 
no  longer  interested  in  his  creation;  an  infinite  host  of 
spirits,  good  and  bad,  which  hold  the  destiny  of  man  in 
their  grasp  and  whose  favor  must,  therefore,  be  won ; 
witch  doctors  and  medicine  men  who  conjure  certain 
spirits  and  keep  the  people  in  constant  awe;  fetiches 
which  are  the  habitats  of  spirits  used  for  protection ;  and 
with  the  practice  of  black  art  with  all  its  murderous 
motives  and  deeds.  Of  course  there  are  elements  of 
moral  power  in  this  religion,  but  so  much  of  it  is  so 
degraded  that  one  wonders  if  God  has  been  able  to  re- 
veal himself  in  the  smallest  degree  to  these  people." 

Voodooism. — When  the  Negro  came  to  this  country  he 
brought  his  crude  conceptions  of  religion  with  him.  They 
found  expression  in  the  West  Indies  and  in  the  South  in 
superstitions  and  the  excesses  of  Voodooism.  During  the 
days  of  slavery  this  persisted,  and  it  is  to  be  feared  that 
it  has  not  entirely  passed  away.  Among  many,  belief 
in  hoodoos,  witchcraft,  ghosts,  "hants,"  as  they  are  called, 
is  still  strong.  It  resists  the  influence  of  Christianity. 
Doubtless  it  will  require  many  generations  of  Christian 
training  before  it  is  entirely  eliminated.  This,  perhaps, 
is  only  what  we  should  expect  when  we  remember  that 
centuries  after  their  conversion  to  Christianity  Anglo- 
Saxons  burnt  at  the  stake  persons  accused  of  witchcraft, 
and  even  now  individuals,  professing  to  be  intelligent, 


314  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

will  carry  a  horse  chestnut  in  their  pocket  as  a  guard 
against  rheumatism. 

Religion  in  Slavery. — In  judging  the  religion  of  the 
Negro,  this  dark  background  must  not  be  forgotten.  The 
mighty  influences  of  heredity  must  be  taken  into  account. 
It  should  be  remembered  also  that  this  environment  for 
two  hundred  and  fifty  years  in  this  country  was  not  such 
as  to  develop  the  highest  type  of  intelligent  Christian 
character.  It  is  true  that  some  owners  took  an  active  in- 
terest in  the  religious  welfare  of  their  slaves,  but  many 
did  not  care.  Besides  this  the  severe  laws  against  acquir- 
ing learning,  and  in  some  States  against  assembling  even 
for  religious  meetings,  militated  against  any  intelligent 
conception  of  the  obligations  of  a  Christian  life.  Their 
preachers,  while  sometimes  men  of  a  great  natural  ability, 
nevertheless  were  illiterate.  They  had  the  power  to  sway 
their  hearers,  but  necessarily  their  range  of  thought  was 
limited.  They  could  stir  the  emotions  but  not  inform  the 
mind.  This  is  essential.  A  clear  conception  of  duty 
must  be  at  the  basis  of  a  Christian  character.  But  in  spite 
of  their  disadvantages,  Bishop  Haygood  was  able  to  say : 
"I  know  that  the  religious  life  of  the  colored  people  in 
the  days  of  slavery  was  not  what  it  ought  to  have  been, 
yet  among  them  were  the  holiest  men  and  women." 

A  Natural  Emotion. — Imperfectly  as  they  may  ex- 
press themselves,  everyone  who  knows  the  Negro  people- 
must  admit  that  they  are  naturally  religious.  This  is 
clear  from  even  our  brief  glance  at  their  history.  Their 
rich  emotional  nature  responds  to  the  appeal  of  religion. 
Converted  to  Christianity  they  have  a  simple  but  mighty 
faith,  a  vivid  and  powerful  sense  of  the  supernatural. 
God  is  very  real  to  them.  And  while  it  must  be  admitted 
that  their  religion  is  sometimes  mixed  with  superstition, 
it  is  also  true  that  by  it  they  are  saved  from  infidelity 


CLINTON    METROPOLITAN    A.    M.   E.    CHURCH,   CHARLOTTE,   N.   C. 


316  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

and  materialism.  In  the  dark  hour  of  their  servitude  it 
sustained  and  cheered  them.  Says  Doctor  Blyden:  "By 
that  mysterious  influence  which  is  imparted  to  man  in- 
dependently of  outward  circumstances,  to  not  a  few  of 
them  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  defective  as  was  its 
practical  exemplification,  opened  a  new  world  of  truth 
and  goodness.  There  streamed  into  the  darkness  of  their 
surroundings  a  light  from  the  Cross  of  Christ,  and  they 
saw  that  through  suffering  and  affliction  lay  a  path  to 
perfect  rest  above  this  world ;  and  in  hours  of  the  most 
degrading  and  exhausting  toil,  they  sang  of  the  eternal 
and  unseen." 

Religion  Shown  in  Song. — If  the  songs  of  a  people  arc 
an  index  to  their  character,  then  the  Negroes  are  worthy 
of  all  praise.  They  reveal  much  of  the  Christ  spirit. 
We  may  frequently  catch  the  minor  tone,  but  never  a 
vengeful  note.  There  is  plenty  of  pathos,  but  no  rancor. 
They  pray  for  blessings  upon  themselves,  but  not  for 
curses  upon  their  oppressors.  This  is  in  sharp  contrast  to 
the  Hebrew  Psalms,  many  of  which  call  down  the  most 
fearful  imprecations  upon  the  heads  of  their  enemies. 
They  pray  for  Christlike  qualities,  for  love,  gentleness, 
long  suffering,  patience,  kindness.  "To  be  more  like  Jesus 
in  my  heart."  They  may  be  violent  upon  provocation,  but 
are  quick  to  forgive.  They  do  not  harbor  a  vengeful 
spirit.  They  are  not  good  haters.  In  their  songs  they 
turned  away  from  hardships  and  privations  of  their  lot 
and  found  comfort  in  personal  communion  with  their 
Saviour  and  the  contemplation  of  their  heavenly  home. 
"Steal  away  to  Jesus,"  "Dem  Golden  Slippers,"  and  other 
melodies  for  the  time  lifted  them  out  of  the  sordid  life 
they  were  obliged  to  lead  into  the  realities  of  the  spirit 
world.  As  one  has  said,  "The  captive  Jews  did  not  sing 
by  the  waters  of  Babylon,  but  the  Negro,  in  the  dark 


LEADERS    OF    THE    NATIONAL    BAPTIST    CONVENTION    OF   THE    UNITED 

STATES   OF  AMERICA. 
T.     C.  H.  PARRISH,  D.D.,  President  of  Simmons  University. 

2.  R.  B.  HUDSON,  A.M.,  Secretary.        4.     A.    M.    TOWSEND,    D.D.,    of    the 

3.  J.    D.    CBENSHAW,    Editor    Nat'l  S.  S.  Publishing  Board. 
Baptist  Voice.                                          5-     E.  C.  MORRIS,  D.D.,  President. 


318  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

dungeons  of  American  slavery,  made  themselves  harps 
and  swept  them  to  some  of  the  most  thrilling  melodies." 

Among  the  more  intelligent,  old  time  superstitions 
have  been  outgrown.  It  is  true  even  yet  that  with  many 
religion  is  simply  or  largely  an  emotion.  It  arouses 
the  feelings  but  does  not  influence  conduct.  It  is  dis- 
sociated from  morality.  Perhaps  this  is  not  an  exclusive 
characteristic  of  colored  people.  Every  pastor  finds  one 
of  his  greatest  problems  to  be  to  get  the  moral  life  of 
certain  parishioners  to  correspond  with  their  professions. 
There  are  always  some  who  cry,  "Lord,  Lord!"  while 
they  do  not  the  things  that  He  commands.  It  therefore 
is  not  strange  that  we  find  the  same  inconsistency  between 
profession  and  conduct  among  these  undeveloped  people. 
Emotionalism  is  not  to  be  crushed,  but  controlled  and 
directed.  Like  fire  it  is  a  useful  servant,  but  a  terrible 
master.  Unrestrained  emotionalism  will  degenerate  into 
all  kinds  of  excess,  and  religious  meetings  instead  of 
being  mounts  of  vision  are  turned  into  unspeakable 
orgies.  The  more  intelligent  among  pastors  and  people 
are  setting  their  face  against  this  degradation  of  a  divine 
quality.  Many  religious  gatherings  are  conducted  with 
decorum,  their  worship  orderly  and  reverent.  The  emo- 
tions, the  rich  soil  out  of  which  spring  the  peace  that  is 
like  a  river  and  joy  that  is  a  perennial  fountain,  are  not 
to  be  extirpated  but  intelligently  cultivated. 

The  writer  after  an  experience  of  nearly  a  quarter  of 
a  century  of  close  association  with  the  colored  people  is 
glad  to  bear  testimony  to  the  great  advance  which  mul- 
titudes have  made.  Their  religion  is  mighty  inspiring, 
molding  influence  in  their  lives.  They  understand  that 
genuine  religion  fruits  in  a  holy  life.  The  discrepancy 
between  profession  and  conduct  disappears.  Their  char- 
acters reflect  the  excellences  of  the  Master  whose  they 


RELIGION    AND   THE    NEGRO.  319 

are  and  whom  they  serve.  These  individuals  are  the 
leaven.  They  will  gradually  affect  the  masses.  They 
are  leaders  who  will  guide  the  people  out  from  the  wilder- 
ness of  sin  and  ignorance  into  the  Promised  Land. 

Early  Churches. — The  religious  life  of  the  Negro  finds 
organized  expression  through  the  church.  During  slavery 
colored  people  usually  worshipped  with  the  white  congre- 
gations. Some  effort  was  directed  toward  their  evangel- 
ization. In  exceptional  cases  preachers  of  their  own  race 
ministered  unto  them,  but  generally  speaking  assemblies 
of  colored  people,  even  for  religious  purposes,  were  dis- 
couraged and  in  some  States  forbidden  by  law.  How- 
ever, here  and  there  churches  were  organized  among 
them.  The  Baptists  seem  to  have  led  in  this  movement, 
organizing  a  church  in  Williamsburg,  Va.,  in  1776,  and 
one  in  Savannah,  Ga.,  in  1788.  After  this  churches  began 
to  multiply. 

The  history  of  religious  denominations  among  the 
colored  people  as  among  other  races  reveals  a  much  to  be 
deplored  tendency  to  division.  Not  only  are  the  greater 
denominations  represented  among  them,  but  these  are 
divided  and  subdivided  into  many  petty  groups  which 
represent  nothing  except  the  idiosyncrasies  of  some  in- 
dividual and  the  few  he  may  be  able  personally  to  in- 
fluence. They  are  weak  in  members  and  resources, 
without  moral  standards  and  contribute  little  or  nothing 
to  the  welfare  of  the  community. 

Baptists. — The  type  of  religious  experience  and  plan 
of  church  government  of  this  great  denomination  make 
a  strong  appeal  to  the  colored  people.  They  are  at- 
tracted by  the  somewhat  spectacular  method  of  baptism 
by  immersion,  and  enjoy  the  liberty  which  is  the  in- 
violable possession  of  the  individual  church.  There  is 
no  organization  with  centralized  authority  over  the 


RELIGION    AND   THE    NEGRO.  321 

denomination  as  a  whole.  However,  through  the  con- 
vention, the  publishing  houses,  missionary  and  other  or- 
ganizations a  certain  uniformity  of  creed  and  practice 
is  maintained. 

The  National  Baptist  Publishing  House  at  Nashville 
is  one  of  the  most  successful  enterprises  of  its  kind  in 
the  country.  It  issues  most  of  the  literature  used  in 
Negro  Baptist  churches.  Through  its  organized  mis- 
sionary societies  the  denomination  is  doing  most  praise- 
worthy work,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  It  reaches  five 
foreign  countries  where  it  has  established  mission  sta- 
tions, some  of  which  have  developed  into  organized 
churches.  The  statistics  are  unreliable  and  probably  the 
figures  given  are  not  justified  by  the  facts.  However, 
according  to  the  Negro  Year  Book,  there  are  more  than 
two  million  regular  Baptist  besides  several  thousands 
scattered  among  other  Baptist  churches. 

The  African  Methodist  Episcopal. — This  branch  of 
American  Methodism  was  organized  in  Philadelphia,  in 
1816,  by  a  number  of  colored  members  who  withdrew 
from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  search  of  larger 
freedom  of  action.  Rev.  Richard  Allen  was  elected  as 
its  first  bishop.  In  doctrine  and  policy  this  church  does 
not  differ  materially  from  the  body  from  which  it  sprang. 
It  has  an  itinerant  and  a  local  ministry,  and  its  territory 
is  divided  into  annual  conferences.  It  has  a  general 
conference  meeting  once  in  four  years.  Its  affairs  are 
administered  by  bishops  elected  for  life,  by  presiding 
elders  and  pastors.  It  has  a  probationary  system  for 
new  members,  exhorters,  class  leaders,  stewards  and 
stewardesses. 

Since  the  Civil  War  the  denomination  has  grown 
rapidly.  It  has  covered  the  Southland  and  in  some  of 

the  larger  cities  has  very  strong  societies.     Its  foreign 
21 


322  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

missionary  work  was  organized  in  1892.  Its  publishing 
interests  are  extensive  and  exert  a  wholesome  influence 
upon  the  membership.  There  are  several  educational  in- 
stitutions supported  by  the  church,  among  which  Wil- 
berforce  University  is  easily  first.  The  last  available 
statistics  give  6,647  churches,  620,000  members,  property 
valued  at  $14,000,000. 

African  Union  Methodist  Protestant. — This  body, 
which  has  a  few  congregations  divided  among  eight 
States,  came  into  existence  at  about  the  same  time  the 
African  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was  organized 
(1816),  differing  from  the  latter  chiefly  in  objections  to 
the  itineracy,  to  a  paid  ministry,  and  to  the  episcopacy. 
It  has  two  annual  conferences,  with  40  organizations, 
69  church  edifices,  church  property  valued  at  $183,697, 
and  5,592  communicants. 

African  Methodist  Episcopal  Zion. — A  congregation 
of  colored  people,  organized  in  New  York  City,  in  1796, 
was  the  nucleus  of  the  African  Methodist  Episcopal  Zion 
Church.  This  congregation  originated  in  a  desire  of 
colored  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  to 
hold  separate  meetings,  in  which  they  "might  have  an 
opportunity  to  exercise  their  spiritual  gifts  among  them- 
selves, and  thereby  be  more  useful  to  one  another." 
They  built  a  church,  which  was  dedicated  in  1800,  the 
full  name  of  the  denomination  subsequently  organized 
being  given  to  it.  The  church  entered  into  an  agree- 
ment, in  1801,  by  which  it  was  to  receive  certain  pastoral 
supervision  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  It 
had  preachers  of  its  own  who  supplied  its  pulpits  in  part. 
In  1820  this  arrangement  terminated,  and  in  the  same 
year  a  union  of  colored  churches  in  New  York,  New 
Haven,  Long  Island  and  Philadelphia  was  formed  and 
rules  of  government  adopted.  Thus  was  the  African 
Methodist  Episcopal  Zion  Church  formally  organized. 


EDWARD    P.    JONES,    B.  S.  D.  D.,    EVANSTON,    ILL.,    PRESIDENT,    NATIONAL 

BAPTIST   CONVENTION,    UNINCORPORATED,   A    SPLIT-OFF   FROM 

THE  REGULAR   NATIONAL  BAPTIST  CONVENTION. 


3^4  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

The  first  annual  conference  was  held  in  1821.  It  was 
attended  by  nineteen  preachers,  representing  six  churches, 
and  1,426  members.  Next  year  James  Varick  was  chosen 
superintendent  of  the  denomination,  which  was  extended 
over  the  States  of  the  North  chiefly,  until  the  close  of 
the  Civil  War,  when  it  entered  the  South  to  organize 
many  churches. 

In  its  policy  lay  representation  has  long  been  a  promi- 
nent feature.  Laymen  are  in  its  annual  conferences  as 
well  as  in  its  general  conferences,  and  there  is  no  bar  to 
ordination  of  women.  Until  1880  its  superintendents, 
or  bishops,  were  elected  for  a  term  of  four  years.  In 
that  year  the  term  of  the  office  was  made  for  life  or 
during  good  behavior.  Its  system  is  almost  identical  with 
that  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  except  the 
presence  of  laymen  in  the  annual  conference,  the  elec- 
tion of  presiding  elders  on  the  nomination  of  the  presid- 
ing bishop,  instead  of  their  appointment  by  the  bishop 
alone,  and  other  small  divergences. 

Its  general  conference  meets  quadrennially.  Its  terri- 
tory is  divided  into  seven  Episcopal  districts,  to  each  of 
which  a  bishop  is  assigned  by  the  general  conference. 

Colored  Methodist  Episcopal. — The  Colored  Metho- 
dist Episcopal  Church  was  organized  in  1870,  of  colored 
members  and  ministers  of  the  M.  E.  Church,  South. 
Before  the  war  this  church  did  a  large  evangelistic  work 
among  the  Negroes.  Many  of  the  Negro  slaves  received 
the  gospel  from  the  same  preachers  and  in  the  same 
churches  as  their  masters,  the  galleries  or  a  portion  of 
the  house  being  assigned  to  them.  For  those  who  were 
not  privileged  to  attend  organized  churches,  special  mis- 
sions were  begun  as  early  as  1829.  In  1845  there  were 
124,000  members  of  the  slave  population,  and  in  1860, 
207,000  members.  In  1866,  after  the  opening  of  the 


RELIGION    AND    THE    NEGRO.  32" 

South  to  Northern  churches  had  given  the  Negfio  mem- 
bers opportunity  to  join  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  the  A.  M. 
E.  Zion  and  other  Methodist  bodies,  it  was  found  that 
there  were  only  78,000  members  left.  The  general  con- 
ference of  1866  authorized  these  colored  members  to  be 
organized  into  separate  conferences,  and  in  1870  two 
bishops  were  appointed  to  organize  the  colored  con- 
ferences into  a  separate  and  independent  church.  This 
church  has  the  same  articles  of  religion,  the  same  form 
of  government,  and  the  same  discipline  as  its  parent 
body.  Its  bishops  are  elected  for  life. 

Bishop  Holsey  declares  that  the  great  aim  of  the  church 
is  to  evangelize  the  Negro,  and  to  educate  and  elevate 
him.  There  are  23  annual  conferences,  240,798  mem- 
bers. There  are  3,196  church  edifices.  Valuation  of 
property  $3,500,000. 

Congregational  Methodists  (Colored). — This  body 
consists  of  congregations  of  colored  members  organized 
into  conferences  by  presidents  of  the  Congregational 
Methodist  Church,  to  which  it  corresponds  in  all  par- 
ticulars of  doctrine,  policy  and  usage.  The  only  differ- 
ence in  the  churches  of  the  two  bodies  is  that  they  are 
composed  of  white  and  colored  persons  respectively. 
There  are  in  all  156  organizations  and  11,960  communi- 
cants, church  property  $459,500. 

There  are  in  addition  to  these  churches  several  others 
which  share  the  allegiance  of  the  colored  race.  For  the 
most  part  they  are  similar  in  doctrine  and  polity  to  the 
larger  denominations  from  which  they  have  sprung.  It 
would  be  vastly  better  for  them  and  for  society  if  they 
would  forget  their  differences  and  unite  themselves  with 
their  parent  bodies. 

In  some  of  the  so-called  white  churches  there  is  a 
large  Negro  membership.  For  example,  the  Methodist 


326  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Episcopal  Church  has  a  Negro  membership  of  350,000. 
5,750  local  and  itinerant  ministers  and  church  property 
valued  at  $6,000,000.  The  colored  members  are  repre- 
sented on  all  the  boards  of  the  church,  and  in  the  general 
conference.  They  hold  high  official  positions  as  secre- 
taries, college  presidents,  etc.  As  a  result  of  the  recent 
Centenary  the  church  is  devoting  millions  of  dollars 
for  work  among  the  colored  people,  both  North  and 
South.  In  Chicago  and  other  large  cities  strategic  centers 
have  been  occupied  and  extensive  preparations  made  to 
care  for  the  multitudes  who  have  migrated  since  tin- 
beginning  of  the  exodus  of  Negroes  from  the  South. 

The  Presbyterian  Congregationalists,  Northern  Bap- 
tists and  some  others  are  doing  a  similar,  needed  and 
praiseworthy  work. 

The  Roman  Catholic  Church  has  never  obtained  a 
great  hold  upon  the  colored  people.  Recently,  however, 
an  active  propaganda  has  been  undertaken  especially  in 
the  naturally  Catholic  sections  of  the  South.  States  have 
been  districted,  cities  like  New  Orleans  have  been  divided 
into  colored  parishes,  churches  have  been  established, 
schools  opened  and  every  evangelizing  agency  employed. 
These  efforts  are  meeting  with  some  success. 

There  are  various  religious  sisterhoods  and  brother- 
hoods which  are  doing  a  helpful  benevolent  work  in  the 
various  communities  where  they  are  organized.  The 
Young  Men's  and  Young  Women's  Christian  Associa- 
tions afford  a  fine  opportunity  for  religious  activities. 
Young  men  and  women  of  executive  ability  have  been 
developed  and  are  active  in  pushing  forward  these  or- 
ganizations. In  several  cities  monumental  buildings  have 
been  erected  and  are  serving  the  people.  This  work 
has  been  greatly  stimulated  by  the  generosity  of  Mr. 
Julius  Rosenwald,  of  Chicago,  who  in  January,  1911, 


328  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

announced  that  he  would  give  $25,000  to  any  city  in  the 
United  States  which  would  provide  the  remaining  $75,000 
toward  a  $100,000  building  for  colored  Young  Men's 
Christian  Association  work.  Taking  advantage  of  this 
generous  offer,  buildings  have  been  erected  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  Chicago,  Philadelphia,  St.  Louis,  Los  Angeles, 
Atlanta  and  various  other  places.  The  colored  people 
themselves  have  contributed  liberally  toward  these  enter- 
prises. 

Under  the  auspices  of  the  associations  various  great 
meetings  are  held,  such  as  the  students'  conferences  at 
Kings  Mountain,  Atlanta,  etc.  These  are  centers  of  in- 
struction and  inspiration.  The  white  secretaries  cheer- 
fully co-operate  and  by  counsel  and  material  assistance 
help  the  work.  Strong  men  of  the  colored  race  have  been 
appointed  as  international  secretaries,  and  talented  women 
are  engaged  in  pushing  the  work  in  the  cities  and  the 
schools. 

Sunday  school  work,  missionary  enterprises,  publish- 
ing interests,  all  afford  opportunities  for  the  expression 
of  the  religious  life  and  activities  of  the  Negro  people. 
As  one  has  said,  "They  have  done  remarkably  well,  con- 
sidering all  the  circumstances,  in  the  matter  of  educa- 
tional, missionary,  charitable  and  philanthropic  work ; 
many  of  their  religious  institutions  of  learning  being 
managed  by  Negro  boards  of  trustees,  taught  by  Negro 
teachers,  and  supported  largely  or  entirely  by  themselves. 
They  are  also  represented  on  the  boards  and  in  the  facul- 
ties of  the  schools  maintained  by  Northern  benevolence. 
The  aggregate  amount  which  they  pay  annually  toward 
the  education  of  their  children  in  Christian  institutions 
is  a  very  considerable  sum.  They  have  their  local,  State 
and  national  educational  and  missionary  organizations, 
and  are  year  by  year  making  progress  in  the  art  of 
organization  and  administration. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WHO'S  WHO  IN  THE  NEGRO  RACE 

Written    Expressly    for    this    book    by    W.    M.    Dogan,    D.    D.,    President 
of    Wiley    University. 

Aldridge,  Ira,  tragedian,  born  in  the  fall  of  1810.  At 
an  early  age  he  was  brought  into  contact  with  a  Mr.  Kean, 
who  was  the  great  tragedian  of  the  time.  Kean  induced 
him  to  accompany  him  to  Europe  in  1826,  where  he  was 
permitted  to  appear  as  Othello.  He  appeared  in  this  role 
at  Covent  Garden  in  1833  and  in  Surrey  Theatre  in  1848. 
He  ranked  as  one  of  the  greatest  tragedians  of  his  time 
on  the  Continent.  He  received  singular  honors  at  the 
hands  of  the  king  of  Prussia,  the  Emperor  of  Austria, 
the  Emperor  of  Russia,  and  other  crown  heads  of  Europe. 
He  was  elected  a  member  to  a  number  of  scientific  so- 
cieties, among  them  the  Prussian  Academy  of  Arts  and 
Sciences ;  member  of  the  Imperial  and  Archducal  Insti- 
tution of  Our  Lady  of  the  Manger  in  Austria ;  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Russian  Hof-Versamburg  of  Riga;  Honorary 
member  of  the  Imperial  Academy  of  Arts  and  Sciences 
in  St.  Petersburg,  etc. 

Alexander,  Archie  Alphonso,  was  born  at  Ottumwa, 
Iowa,  May  I4th,  1888.  He  graduated  from  the  Oak  Park 
High  School  in  1905.  He  entered  the  State  University  of 
Iowa  and  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Civil  Engineer. 
He  was  employed  by  the  Marsh  Engineering  Co.  of  Des 
Moines  and  later  was  given  charge  of  the  bridge  con- 
struction work  on  the  Minnesota  and  Iowa  Road.  In 
1914  he  severed  his  connection  with  this  company  and 
entered  business  for  himself.  While  at  the  University 
of  Iowa  he  was  a  member  of  the  football  and  track  teams. 


The  modesty  of  many  men  and  women  has  prevented  a  record  of 
their  noble  lives.  In  other  cases  the  names  did  not  reach  us  in  time.— 
THE  AUTHOR. 

329 


'{.30  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

He  is  also  a  member  of  Kappa  Alpha  Psi  Fraternity  and 
The  Square  and  Compass. 

Anderson,  Charles  William,  was  born  at  Oxford, 
Ohio,  April  28th,  1866.  He  was  educated  at  the  public 
schools  of  Oxford  and  Middleton,  Ohio.  He  took 
courses  in  the  Berlitz  School  of  Languages,  Worcester, 
Massachusetts,  and  the  Spencerian  Business  College  of 
Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  was  appointed  United  States 
gauger  in  the  second  district  of  New  York  in  1890. 
From  1893  to  1895  he  was  the  private  secretary  of  the 
State  Treasurer  of  New  York  and  from  1895  to  1898 
Chief  Clerk  in  the  State  Treasurer's  office.  From  1905 
to  1915  he  was  the  Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  in  the 
Second  District  of  New  York,  a  position  which  he  held 
until  1917.  Mr.  Anderson  has  served  on  many  important 
committees  in  New  York  City  among  which  are:  The 
Committee  to  Welcome  Admiral  Geo.  Dewey  and  the 
fleet  upon  its  return  from  the  Philippine  Islands,  The 
Citizens  Committee  to  welcome  Admirals  Wm.  T.  Samp- 
son and  Winfield  S.  Schley  when  the  two  returned  from 
Cuba,  The  Hudson  Fulton  Celebration  committee,  The 
Committee  to  welcome  Theodore  Roosevelt  from  his  trip 
in  Africa;  and  a  permanent  member  of  New  York  City 
Independent  Day  Commission.  He  was  Republican 
Alternate  Delegate  at  Large  to  the  Convention  at  Chi- 
cago, 111.,  in  1908  and  1912;  is  a  member  of  the  National 
Geographical  Society,  The  Metropolitan  Museum  of  Art, 
the  Academy  of  Political  Science,  and  New  York  Peace 
Society. 

Anderson,  Mrs.  Martha  Broadus,  was  born  in  Rich- 
mond, Virginia.  Her  aarly  literary  training  was  obtained 
in  the  public  schools  of  Washington,  D.  C.,  where  she  also 
began  her  musical  training.  She  studied  under  Professor 
John  T.  Layton  and  under  his  direction  she  mastered  the 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  331 

rudiments  and  technique  of  music.  At  the  tender  age  of 
twelve  she  had  so  completely  mastered  the  fundamentals 
of  her  art  that  she  was  appointed  the  director  of  the 
chorus  of  the  Second  Baptist  Lyceum.  At  the  completion 
of  her  course  in  the  high  school  she  sat  for  the  civil  ser- 
vice examination,  passed  and  was  appointed  to  a  position 
in  the  printing  department  of  our  National  Government 
where  she  remained  for  a  number  of  years, 

In  1898  Mrs.  Anderson  moved  to  Chicago  and  entered 
more  vigorously  into  the  study  of  music.  She  placed 
herself  under  the  direction  of  such  private  teachers  as 
Pedro  Tinsley,  Herbert  Miller  and  in  addition  to  that 
matriculated  in  the  Chicago  Musical  College.  In  1908 
she  graduated  from  this  institution  with  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Music.  She  maintains  a  studio  in  Chicago 
where  vocal  as  well  as  instrumental  music  is  taught.  She 
is  also  the  director  of  the  choir  of  Bethesda  Baptist 
Church. 

Banks,  Charles,*  was  born  at  Clarkesdale,  Mississippi, 
in  1877.  He  went  to  Rusk  College  and  left  before  his 
graduation.  He  entered  in  the  mercantile  business  at 
Clarkesdale  with  his  brother  in  1891.  In  1903  he  organ- 
ized the  Mound  Bayou  Bank  and  was  the  cashier  until 
1914.  He  organized  the  Mound  Bayou  Oil  Mill  and 
Manufacturing  Company  and  became  its  general  man- 
ager. He  is  a  trustee  of  Wilberf orce  University,  Camp- 
bell College,  a  director  of  The  Union  Guaranty  Company, 
Jackson,  Mississippi,  and  the  Mississippi  Beneficial  In- 
surance Co.  He  was  delegate  to  the  Republican  National 
convention  in  1908  and  delegate  at  large  in  1912. 

Banneker,  Benjamin,  inventor  of  the  first  striking 
clock  in  America.  His  father  and  mother  were  born  in 
Africa  and  he  in  Maryland.  He  constructed  his  clock 
with  rude  tools  using  his  watch  as  a  model.  He  became 


*  See  Chapter  XII. 


332  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

an  astronomer  and  devised  the  first  almanac  in  America. 
This  almanac  was  adapted  to  local  requirements  of 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia  and  Maryland  and  published 
from  1792-1806.  It  contained  the  motion  of  the  sun  and 
moon,  the  motions,  places  and  aspects  of  the  planets,  the 
rising  and  setting  of  the  sun;  and  the  rising,  setting, 
southing,  place  and  age  of  the  moon,  etc.,  and  is  said  to 
have  been  the  main  dependence  of  the  farmers  in  the 
district  covered.  He  was  also  engaged  as  the  assistant  to 
the  commissioners  in  laying  out  the  lines  of  the  District 
of  Columbia.  A  copy  of  his  almanac  was  sent  to  Thomas 
Jefferson  who  thanked  him  in  a  personal  letter. 

Barnett,  Ida  B.  Wells,  was  born  at  Holly  Springs, 
Mississippi.  She  received  her  education  at  Rusk  Univer- 
sity, Mississippi,  and  married  Ferdinand  L.  Barnett,  as- 
sistant state  attorney,  in  Cook  County,  111.,  June  27th, 
1895.  Mrs.  Barnett  has  been  connected  with  a  number  of 
newspapers  and  was  the  editor  of  the  "Free  Speech," 
Memphis,  Tenn.  She  has  devoted  a  number  of  years 
agitating  against  the  lynching  of  her  people  both  in  this 
country  and  in  England.  She  is  one  of  the  most  influen- 
tial women  of  her  race  and  is  a  genius  at  organization. 
She  has  organized  a  number  of  clubs  and  societies,  among 
which  are  the  following:  "The  North-side  Women's 
Club,"  "The  Ideal  Club,"  and  "The  Douglass  Center  of 
Chicago;"  "The  Ida  B.  Wells  Club,"  also  of  Chicago; 
"The  Woman's  Era  Club"  in  Boston,  Mass.,  and  "The 
Woman's  Royal  Union"  in  New  York  and  Brooklyn.  She 
also  organized  "The  Negro  Fellowship  League"  in  1908, 
and  is  an  honorary  member  of  a  number  of  these  clubs. 
In  1913  she  was  appointed  probation  officer  for  the  city  of 
Chicago.  In  1915  she  was  elected  vice-president  of  the 
Chicago  Equal  Rights  League  and  in  the  winter  of  1919 
was  elected  by  that  body  to  represent  it  at  the  Peace 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  333 

Conference  in  Paris.  She  is  a  trustee  of  the  Amanda 
Smith  Industrial  School  for  girls  and  takes  active  part  in 
politics.  Mrs.  Barnett  is  the  mother  of  four  children, 
Alfred,  Ida,  Aked  and  Herman. 

Billups,  Henry  Lee,  was  born  at  Goliad,  Texas,  Jan- 
uary loth,  1867.  He  received  his  academic  education  at 
Wiley  University,  from  which  institution  he  received  his 
B.  S.  degree  in  1888 ;  and  his  M.  S.  in  1892  and  his  Ph. 
B.  in  1905.  He  is  subsequently  a  graduate  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Michigan,  where  he  pursued  a  course  in  the  law 
department.  He  received  his  LL.  B.  from  the  Carnegie 
Law  School  in  Rodgers,  Ohio,  in  1914.  Mr.  Billups  has 
spent  a  number  of  years  in  the  teaching  profession.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  faculty  of  Wiley  University  for 
thirteen  years  and  twelve  years  at  the  George  R.  Smith 
College,  Sedalia,  Mo.  In  1901  he  was  appointed  to  the 
educational  work  at  San  Juan,  Porto  Rico.  In  1902  he 
was  admitted  to  the  Missouri  Bar  and  subsequently 
formed  an  association  with  Bouron  in  a  law  firm  which 
came  to  be  known  as  Bouron  &  Billups  of  Kansas  City, 
Mo.  Mr.  Billups  is  a  member  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias, 
Mosaic  Templars,  and  was  three  times  elected  delegate  to 
the  M.  E.  General  Conference. 

Bond,  Scott,  came  into  this  world  as  a  slave  in  1852,  in 
Mississippi,  and  settled  down  in  Madison,  Arkansas,  after 
he  had  attained  his  majority.  Mr.  Bond  relates  the  story 
of  his  arrival  in  Madison  in  a  somewhat  dramatic 
manner.  It  is  enough  to  say  that  when  he  found  him- 
self in  Madison,  his  entire  possessions  did  not  amount 
to  five  dollars. 

He  began  life  in  Madison  by  renting  a  little  farm  on 
which  he  raised  cotton.  The  entire  income  from  his 
little  farm  went  to  pay  the  rent.  By  consistent  application 
to  work  he  was  able  to  save  a  few  dollars,  which  he  in- 


1.  SCOTT    BOND.  3.    JOHN   WESLEY   BOWEM. 

2.  BISHOP  ALEXANDER  f,  CAMPHOR.        4.     REV.    R.    H.    BOYD. 


WHO'S    WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  335 

vested  in  a  small  tract  of  land,  part  of  which  was  a  wash- 
out in  a  creek  bottom.  Little  did  he  dream  that  this  very 
creek  would  form  the  basis  of  a  substantial  income.  His 
friends  laughed  at  him  for  what  they  called  his  foolish- 
ness, but  "Unc"  Scott  as  he  is  intimately  known  did  not 
murmur.  An  opportunity  came  to  him  one  day  when  the 
Rock  Island  Railroad  Company's  agent,  who  was  out 
looking  for  gravel,  found  that  the  gravel  deposit  on  his 
land  was  the  quality  of  gravel  for  which  he  had  been 
looking.  Negotiations  were  begun  with  him  which 
culminated  in  a  contract  between  him  and  the  railroad 
company  for  the  supply  of  gravel.  The  income  from 
this  contract  he  has  invested  in  farm  lands  which  he 
rents  to  tenants. 

Mr.  Bond  owns  over  four  thousand  acres  of  fertile 
soil,  owns  and  operates  one  of  the  largest  cotton  gins  of 
that  community  as  well  as  a  saw  mill.  His  entire  hold- 
ings is  valued  at  $280,000  which  also  includes  a  co-oper- 
ative store. 

Bowen,  John  Wesley  Edward,  was  born  in  New 
Orleans,  La.,  December  3rd,  1865.  He  received  his  A.  B. 
from  the  University  of  New  Orleans  in  1878  and  his  A. 
M.  in  1886.  He  entered  the  Divinity  School  of  Boston 
University  and  received  his  B.  D.  in  1885  and  Ph.  D.  in 
1887.  The  honorary  degree  of  D.  D.  was  conferred  upon 
him  by  Gammon  Theological  Seminary.  Dr.  Bowen 
served  as  a  teacher  in  a  number  of  schools  in  various 
parts  of  the  country  among  which  are  Morgan  College, 
Baltimore,  Md.,  Professor  of  Church  History  and  Syste- 
matic Theology,  Howard  University,  Washington,  D.  C, 
Professor  of  Hebrew  and  Theology.  Dr.  Bowen  was 
elected  president  of  Gammon  Theological  Seminary, 
Atlanta,  Ga.,  a  position  which  he  is  now  holding. 

Bowles,  Eva  D.,  was   born   in   Columbus,   Ohio,   the 


336  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

daughter  of  one  of  the  early  Negro  migrants  to  Ohio. 
She  received  her  early  education  in  the  public  schools  of 
Columbus,  Ohio.  She  entered  the  Ohio  State  University 
and  at  her  graduation  entered  the  teaching  profession. 
She  selected  the  South  as  her  field  of  educational  activi- 
ties and  for  eleven  years  she  toiled  among  her  people  in 
that  section  of  the  country.  She  was  attracted  by  Y.  W. 
C.  A.  work  and  became  identified  with  the  organization 
after  leaving  the  South.  She  won  recognition  by  her 
work  and  was  appointed  General  Secretary  of  the  New 
York  City  branch  of  the  organization.  In  1913  she  was 
elected  National  Secretary  of  the  Negro  branch  of  the  Y. 
W.  C.  A.  Under  her  leadership  the  association  has  taken 
a  new  life  and  a  new  meaning  so  far  as  the  people  of 
color  are  concerned.  One  notices  a  steady  increase  in  the 
number  of  cities  with  branches  of  the  organization.  Miss 
Bowles  was  called  upon  by  the  War  Work  Council  of  the 
National  Board  of  the  Y.  W.  C.  A.  to  take  up  the  work  as 
Executive  Secretary  of  War  Work  among  the  colored 
people  during  the  war.  She  did  so  and  brought  order  in 
what  before  her  appearance  was  chaos.  She  organized 
the  Hostess  Houses  in  the  various  camps  and  in  the 
cities  near  the  camps.  Miss  Bowles  is  chairman  of  the 
Northeastern  Federation  of  Colored  Women's  Clubs  and 
an  ex-president  of  the  National  Association. 

Boyd,  Richard  Henry,  was  born  in  Mississippi  about 
the  1 5th  of  March  1843  or  l&44  of  slave  parents.  When 
the  Civil  War  broke  out  he  went  with  his  owners  and 
younger  master  with  the  Confederate  Army.  After  the 
war  closed,  he  went  back  to  Texas  and  was  a  cow  puncher 
on  the  plains  of  Texas.  Then  he  went  to  farming  and 
from  farming  he  worked  as  a  sawmill  hand  and  from 
the  sawmill  back  to  the  cow  trail.  During  this  time  he 
made  several  trips  to  Mexico.  He  was  ordained  as  a 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  337 

Baptist  preacher  about  1874  or  75.  He  has  pastored  in 
Willis,  Grimes  County,  Texas,  where  he  held  one  church 
for  thirty  years ;  at  Palestine,  Anderson  County,  Texas, 
for  ten  years ;  at  San  Antonio,  Bexar  County,  Texas,  for 
about  six  years.  He  founded  the  National  Baptist  Pub- 
lishing Board's  plant  and  started  the  operation  of  the  in- 
stitution in  1897  at  Nashville,  Tennessee.  The  plant  is 
now  valued  at  over  three  hundred  fifty  thousand  dollars. 

Brady,  Doctor  St.  Elmo,  is  a  product  of  Fisk  Univer- 
sity, Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  Tuskegee  Institute.  He  re- 
ceived his  A.  B.  degree  from  Fisk  University  after  which 
he  became  identified  with  the  faculty  of  Tuskegee  Insti- 
tute. From  Tuskegee  he  entered  the  graduate  school  of 
the  University  of  Illinois  and  specialized  in  chemistry. 
From  the  very  beginning  he  won  admiration  of  his  in- 
structors for  his  original  research  work.  His  achieve- 
ments in  that  line  were  rewarded  by  his  election  to  the  two 
honorary  national  scientific  societies,  Sigma  Chi  and 
Lamda  Nu.  In  the  spring  of  1916  he  received  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Philosophy  in  Chemistry. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  Dr.  Brady  was 
appointed  head  of  the  department  of  Science  at  Tuskegee 
Institute,  Ala. 

Braithwaite,  William  Stanley  Beaumont,  was  born  in 
Boston,  Mass.,  December  6th,  1878.  Mr.  Braithwaite  is 
an  eloquent  example  of  a  self  made  and  self  educated 
man.  The  death  of  his  father  compelled  him  to  leave 
school  at  an  early  age  to  help  support  his  mother.  This 
fact,  however,  did  not  dampen  his  ardor  for  knowledge. 
He  continued  his  studies  and  developed  a  fondness  for 
poetry  which  found  expression  in  a  complete  abandon- 
ment to  the  pursuit  of  this  form  of  literature.  Today  he 
is  reaping  the  fruit  which  he  had  sown  under  such  a 
great  handicap  for  he  is  now  the  literary  critic  for  The 

22 


338  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Boston  Transcript,  and  an  authority  on  American  Poetry 
and  Literature. 

Mr.  Braithwaite  is  the  author  of  a  number  of  books 
and  articles  among  which  are :  "Lyrics  of  Life  and  Love," 
"The  Book  of  Elizabethan  Verse,"  "The  House  of  Falling 
Leaves,"  "The  Book  of  Victorian  Verse."  He  con- 
tributes frequently  poems  and  articles  to  Scribners. 
Forum,  Lippencott,  Century  and  other  periodicals. 

Brawley,  Benjamin,  was  born  in  Columbia,  South 
Carolina,  April  22nd,  1882.  He  received  the  A.  B.  degree 
from  Morehouse  College  in  the  spring  of  1901  and  five 
years  later,  1906,  received  a  similar  degree  from  the  Uni- 
versity of  Chicago.  He  subsequently  entered  the  grad- 
uate school  of  Harvard  and  in  the  spring  of  1908  the 
degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  on  him  by  that 
institution.  Since  his  graduation  he  has  pursued  further 
graduate  studies  at  the  University  of  Chicago. 

In  the  fall  of  1902,  Brawley  was  called  to  Morehouse  to 
fill  the  chair  of  Instructor  of  English  and  in  1906  was 
appointed  professor  of  English  in  that  institution.  He 
held  that  position  until  1910  when  he  severed  his  con- 
nection with  Morehouse  to  become  professor  of  English 
in  Howard  University,  Washington,  D.  C.  From  1910 
to  1912  he  labored  assiduously  at  Howard  and  succeeded 
in  raising  the  literary  tone  of  the  institution.  He  dis- 
played such  unusual  ability  as  an  executor  that  in  1912 
Morehouse,  his  Alma  Mater,  called  him  back  to  fill  the 
responsible  position  of  dean  of  the  college,  a  position 
which  he  has  filled  with  credit  to  himself  and  his  Alma 
Mater.  In  addition  to  his  regular  duties  at  Morehouse 
Brawley  finds  time  to  teach  in  the  Hampton  Summer 
school  and  lecture  before  various  institutions. 

In  1919,  Brawley  was  elected  president  of  the  associ- 
ation of  colleges  for  negro  youths,  a  position  of  honor 
and  distinction. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  339 

It  is  as  a  writer,  however,  more  than  an  educator  that 
Brawley  is  known  to  the  public.  The  following  are 
some  of  his  more  important  publications : 

"A  Short  History  of  the  American  Negro,"  The  Mac- 
millan  Co.,  New  York,  1913,  revised  1919. 

"The  Negro  in  Literature  and  Art,"  Duffield  &  Co., 
New  York,  1918. 

"Africa  and  the  War,"  Duffield  &  Co.,  New  York, 
1918. 

"History  of  Morehouse  College,"  published  by  the  Col- 
lege, Atlanta,  Ga.,  1917. 

"New "Era  Declamations,"  (Edited)  The  University 
Press,  Sewanee,  Tenn.,  1918. 

"Women  of  Achievement,"  Woman's  Amer.  Bapt. 
Home  Mission  Society,  Chicago,  1919. 

Numerous  booklets  of  verse,  especially  "The  Seven 
Sleepers  of  Ephesus,"  and  various  articles  on  Hymnody, 
Pre-Raphaelitism,  Richard  Le  Gallienne,  and  other  liter- 
ary topics  in  "The  Dial,"  "The  Sewanee  Review,"  "The 
South  Atlantic  Quarterly,"  etc. 

Brooks,  Walter  Henderson,  was  born  at  Richmond, 
Va.  His  mother  and  her  six  children  were  sold  as  slaves 
in  1858.  Young  Walter  received  his  early  training  in 
Richmond  and  at  Wilberforce  Institute,  Carolina  Mills, 
R.  I.  He  entered  Lincoln  University  and  received  his 
B.  A.  degree  from  that  institution  in  1872.  He  was 
a  student  in  the  Theological  School  in  1872-3  and 
fifteen  years  later  received  his  M.  A.  degree  from  his 
alma  mater.  Other  degrees  conferred  upon  him  are :  D. 
D.,  Rogers  Williams  University,  Howard  University, 
State  University,  Louisville,  Ky.  He  was  ordained  in  the 
Baptist  Church  in  1876  and  served  as  pastor  of  the  Second 
Baptist  Church,  Richmond,  Va.,  1877-80 ;  Sunday  School 
Missionary,  New  Orleans,  La.,  1880-2 ;  and  has  been 


1.  HARRY   T.   BURLEIGH. 

2.  WILLIAM  HENRY  BROOKS. 


3.  BENJAMIN  BRAWLEY. 

4.  WILLIAM  S.  BRAITHWAITE. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  341 

pastor  of  the  Nineteenth  Street  Baptist  Church,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C,  since  1882.  Doctor  Brooks  was  a  delegate  to 
the  International  Sunday  School  Convention,  London, 
England,  in  1889.  Dr.  Brooks  is  one  of  the  most  inter- 
esting and  distinguished  ministers  of  the  African  Baptist 
Church.  The  fact  that  he  has  been  attached  to  that 
church  for  over  thirty  years  attests  his  capabilities. 

Brooks,  Dr.  William  Henry,  was  born  September  6th, 
1859.  He  entered  Morgan  College,  Baltimore,  Md.,  and 
subsequently  Howard  University,  Washington,  D.  C.  He 
felt  the  need  of  a  more  thorough  training  for  the  min- 
istry and  in  the  fall  of  1898  he  entered  the  Union 
Theological  Seminary,  New  York,  and  terminated  his  con- 
nection with  this  institution  two  years  later.  From  1903 
to  1906  he  was  a  student  in  New  York  University  where 
he  pursued  his  courses  in  philosophy  and  the  natural 
sciences.  Dr.  Brooks  joined  the  M.  E.  Annual  Confer- 
ence in  1879  and  received  his  first  appointment  as  pastor 
at  Talcott.  Other  charges  which  he  held  subsequently 
were  in  Spring  Creek,  West  Virginia,  Harper's  Ferry, 
Md.,  and  in  Washington,  D.  C.  He  was  ordained 
minister  of  the  church  in  1884  and  in  1892  to  1897  was 
presiding  elder  in  the  Washington  District  and  went  from 
there  to  take  up  his  work  as  pastor  of  St.  Mark's  Church 
in  New  York  City. 

Dr.  Brooks  has  been  eminently  successful  as  a  church- 
man and  pastor  and  in  recognition  of  his  services  to  his 
people  and  his  church  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  Wiley  University,  Marshall, 
Texas,  in  1897,  and  by  Morgan  College,  Baltimore,  Md., 
in  1917.  He  was  sent  by  the  church  in  1910  as  a  delegate 
to  the  World's  Conference  at  Edinburgh,  Scotland. 
After  this  conference  he  went  to  France  and  took  special 
courses  in  the  University  at  Dijon.  Dr.  Brooks  was 


342  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

Fraternal  Delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of  the  C. 
M.  E.  church  in  1902  and  a  delegate  to  the  General  Con- 
ference in  1896.  He  has  traveled  extensively  both  in 
Europe  and  in  this  country. 

Brown,  Samuel  Joe,  was  born  in  Keosauqua,  Iowa, 
July  6,  1875.  At  the  completion  of  his  high  school  course 
he  entered  the  University  of  Iowa,  Iowa  City,  and 
graduated  four  years  later  with  honors.  He  was  elected 
to  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  the  National  scholarship  frater- 
nity, while  in  college.  He  entered  the  Law  School  of  the 
University  at  the  completion  of  his  college  course  and 
graduated  in  1901,  and  in  1902  received  his  Master  degree 
from  the  same  school.  Before  taking  up  the  practice  of 
law  Mr.  Brown  spent  one  year  as  principal  of  the  public 
school  of  Muchakinock  and  one  year  as  professor  of 
ancient  languages  at  Bishop  College,  Marshall,  Texas. 
He  is  now  engaged  in  the  practice  of  his  profession  in 
Boston  and  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  as  member  of  the  firm  of 
Woodson  &  Brown.  He  has  been  singularly  honored  by 
his  state  and  county  by  appointments  to  serve  as  a  mem- 
ber of  the  committee  of  300  citizens  that  drafted  the 
commission  plan  of  government  for  the  city  of  Des 
Moines,  commissioner  from  Iowa  to  National  Half  Cen- 
tury Anniversary  of  Negro  Freedom  in  Chicago,  111.,  in 
1915.  Mr.  Brown  was  defeated  for  councilman  in  1910 
by  a  narrow  margin.  Mr.  Brown  holds  membership  in 
Kappa  Alpha  Psi  fraternity,  Negro  Business  League, 
Iowa  State  Bar  Association,  Mason,  Eastern  Star,  ex- 
president  of  the  Interstate  Literary  Association  of 
Kansas  City  and  the  west. 

Bruce,  Senator  Blanch  K.,  was  born  a  slave  in  Prince 
Edward  County,  Virginia,  in  1841.  In  his  young  days  he 
was  trained  with  his  master's  son  and  when  the  day  of 
freedom  came  he  migrated  to  Missouri  and  for  several 


WHO'S    WHO    IX    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  343 

years  was  engaged  in  teaching.  He  took  special  courses 
at  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  to  supplement  the  training 
which  he  had  received  from  his  master.  He  soon  became 
tired  of  teaching,  consequently  he  returned  to  the  South 
and  took  up  farming  in  Bolivar  County,  Mississippi.  He 
was  successful  in  his  new  occupation  and  became  a  prom- 
inent man  in  that  section.  In  recognition  of  his  ability 
he  was  elected  superintendent  of  schools  in  his  county 
and  then  as  sheriff  and  finally  as  senator  from  the  state 
of  his  adoption.  He  served  in  the  senate  from  1875-1881. 
At  the  expiration  of  his  term  he  was  appointed  register  of 
the  treasury  by  President  Garfield  and  was  reappointed 
by  President  McKinley  in  1897.  He  died  while  still  in 
office  in  1898.  Mr.  Bruce  married  Miss  Josephine  B. 
Wilson  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  on  June  24th,  1878  and  by 
this  union  an  illustrious  son,  Roscoe  C.,  survives. 

Bruce,  Roscoe  Conklin,  was  born  in  Washington,  D. 
C.,  April  2ist,  1879.  He  received  his  early  education  in 
the  .public  school  of  the  District  of  Columbia,  and  entered 
Harvard  in  1898,  and  graduated  with  honors  in  1902. 
While  an  undergraduate  at  Harvard  he  was  elected  a 
member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  the  college  scholarship 
fraternity.  At  his  graduation  Mr.  Bruce  became  the 
director  of  the  Academic  department  of  Tuskegee  In- 
stitute and  continued  in  that  capacity  until  1906.  In  1906 
he  became  the  supervising  principal  in  the  loth  district 
of  the  public  schools  of  the  District  of  Columbia.  He 
gave  up  this  position  to  become  assistant  superintendent 
of  instruction  in  the  colored  schools  in  the  District  of 
Columbia  in  1919.  Mr.  Bruce  is  prominent  in  the  edu- 
cational world  and  devotes  a  great  deal  of  his  time  in  the 
study  of  educational  problems  especially  as  they  are  re- 
lated to  Negro  schools  and  Negro  education.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  Sigma  Pi  Phi  fraternity  and  the  Mu- 
So-lit  Club. 


344  "PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Buchanan,  Walter  Solomon,  was  born  at  Troy,  Ala- 
bama, February  8th,  1882.  He  attended  the  public  school 
of  Troy  and  later  entered  Tuskegee  Institute,  Ala.,  and 
finished  in  1899.  At  the  completion  of  his  course  at  Tus- 
kegee he  went  to  Boston,  Mass.,  and  entered  the  Sloyd 
Training  School  and  completed  the  course  in  1902.  He 
prepared  himself  to  enter  Harvard  by  attending  the  Y.  M. 
C.  A.  night  school.  He  matriculated  at  Harvard  and 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  B.  A.  S.  in  1906. 

President  Buchanan  began  life  as  a  teacher  in  the 
Schofield  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute.  Upon  his 
graduation  from  Harvard  he  was  appointed  southern 
agent  for  Tuskegee  Institute.  He  served  for  two  months 
when  he  resigned  to  accept  a  position  as  principal  of  the 
Corona  Industrial  Institute,  Corona,  Alabama.  He  re- 
mained in  this  position  until  1909  and  then  resigned  to 
become  president  of  State  Normal  School,  Normal, 
Alabama. 

President  Buchanan  is  also  connected  with  the  Stand- 
ard Life  Insurance  Company  as  director  and  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  following  societies :  American  Academy 
Political  and  Social  Science,  National  Geographical 
Society,  Mason,  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  one  of  the 
editors  of  "The  Competitor." 

Burleigh,  Harry  T.,  was  born  in  Erie,  Pennsylvania. 
He  came  into  contact  with  musicians  of  note  at  an  early 
period  of  his  life  and  on  his  graduation  from  the  high 
school  he  entered  more  actively  in  the  preparation  of 
himself  for  a  musical  career.  He  obtained  a  scholarship 
which  was  offered  by  the  National  Conservatory  of 
Music  through  the  influence  of  a  white  woman  whom  he 
had  served  on  a  previous  occasion  in  his  home  city.  In 
appreciation  of  the  rare  opportunity  which  befell  him  he 
made  good. 


WHO'S   WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  345 

In  1894  he  led  in  a  competition  for  a  baritone  soloist 
conducted  by  the  St.  George's  Church,  New  York  City, 
and  received  the  appointment  and  from  that  day  he  has 
been  identified  with  that  church.  Mr.  Burleigh  is  not 
only  a  singer  of  distinction  but  also  a  composer  of 
national  prominence.  Some  of  the  products  of  his  pen 
and  imagination  are  sung  by  artists  of  note  the  world 
over.  Among  his  most  popular  selections  are :  "Deep 
River,"  "The  Soldier,"  "Jean,"  "The  Gray  Wolf," 
"Ethiopia  Saluting  the  Flag."  In  recognition  of  his  con- 
tribution to  the  world  he  was  awarded  the  Spingarn  prize 
in  1917  and  the  M.  A.  degree  from  Atlanta  University. 

Burroughs,  Nannie  Helen,  was  born  in  Culpeper, 
Va.,  May  2,  1879.  She  took  a  business  course  in  1902 
and  returned  to  her  home  and  became  a  bookkeeper  and 
stenographer  in  a  manufacturing  house. 

Miss  Burroughs  became  a  private  secretary  of  Dr.  L. 
G.  Jordan,  secretary  of  Foreign  Mission  Board,  and  when 
the  Women's  Convention  Auxiliary  was  inaugurated  she 
was  one  of  the  leading  figures. 

On  October  19,  1909,  the  doors  of  the  National  Train- 
ing School  for  Women  and  Girls  were  opened  to  the  Negro 
women  of  the  nation  by  Miss  Burroughs.  This  institu- 
tion represents  the  efforts  of  this  conscientious  woman  for 
the  betterment  of  her  sex.  She  is  identified  with  a  num- 
ber of  organizations,  among  them  the  Douglass  Improve- 
ment Co.,  of  which  she  is  secretary.  She  is  corresponding 
secretary  of  the  Woman's  Auxiliary  of  National  Baptist 
Convention ;  secretary  Young  Women's  Department  of 
the  National  Association  of  Colored  Women's  Clubs. 
She  holds  membership  in  the  following  organizations : 
Ladies  Union  Band ;  St.  Lukes' ;  Saturday  Evening  Club 
and  Daughters  of  the  Round  Table. 

In    1905   she  went  to   London   as   a   delegate  to  the 


346  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

World's  Baptist  Congress  and  addressed  the  Assembly 
on  "Woman's  Part  in  the  World's  Work." 

Camphor,  Bishop  Alexander  P.,  was  born  in  Orleans 
Parish,  La.,  August  9,  1865.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  New  Orleans  University  and  subsequently  at 
Columbia  University,  New  York,  and  the  University  of 
Chicago.  After  completing  his  course  of  study  he  entered 
the  teaching  profession  and  spent  many  years  teaching 
in  New  Orleans.  He  was  ordained  a  minister  of  the 
church  and  was  assigned  to  a  church  in  New  Orleans. 
From  New  Orleans  he  went  to  Africa  and  served  as 
president  of  the  College  of  West  Africa  from  1898-1908. 
Returning  to  the  United  States  at  the  expiration  of  his 
term  as  president  of  the  African  institution  in  1909,  he 
became  the  president  of  Central  Alabama  Institute. 

Carrothers,  James  Davis,  was  born  at  Calvin,  Mich- 
igan, July  2,  1869,  the  son  of  James  R.  and  Maggie  Car- 
rothers. His  mother  died  at  his  birth  and  left  him  in 
the  care  of  his  father.  It  is  said  that  Mr.  Carrothers  has 
in  his  veins  Negro,  Scotch-Irish  and  Indian  blood.  His 
education  was  received  at  South  Haven,  Michigan,  from 
1874-1883.  He  entered  Northwestern  University  in 
1890  and  continued  his  course  of  studies  there  until  1893. 
In  the  interval  between  1883,  the  date  on  which  he 
finished  his  elementary  training,  and  1890,  his  time  was 
spent  working  in  sawmills,  lumber  camps  and  similar 
places.  He  spent  a  year  at  Bennett  College  in  Greens- 
boro, N.  C.  He  was  ordained  a  Baptist  minister  in  1894. 
Mr.  Carrothers  is  a  voluminous  writer  and  his  contri- 
butions appear  in  the  leading  periodicals  of  the  country. 
His  poems  are  well  received  and  elicit  honorable  mention 
from  critics.  Among  his  literary  productions  are :  "The 
Black  Cat,"  which  appeared  in  1902.  His  book  of 
"Selected  Poems,"  which  appeared  in  1907.  "A  Man 


WHO'S    WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  347 

That  Did  Not  Know,"  appeared  in  1913,  "The  Dream 
and  the  Song"  in  1914.  Mr.  Carrothers  has  also  written 
his  autobiography  with  the  preface  written  by  Ray 
Stannard  Baker,  editor  of  the  American  Magazine.  He 
also  wrote  the  sketch  of  Dr.  C.  Albert  Findley  for  the 
Associated  Sunday  Magazine. 

Carter,  Edward  Albert,  was  born  at  Charlottevillc, 
Va.,  April  n,  1881.  At  an  early  age  he  moved  to  Oska- 
loosa,  Iowa,  where  he  attended  high  school.  Upon  his 
graduation  he  entered  the  State  University  of  Iowa  and 
received  his  degree  of  B.  Ph.  in  1903.  Not  satisfied  with 
this  degree  which  he  had  just  earned  he  re-enrolled  in  the 
medical  department  of  that  institution  from  which  he 
graduated  four  years  later.  At  his  graduation  Dr.  Carter 
went  to  Buxton,  Iowa,  and  affiliated  himself  first  with  Dr. 
L.  S.  Henderson  and  then  with  Dr.  C.  B.  Powell  (both 
of  them  white)  and  became  the  partner  of  the  latter.  He 
was  appointed  health  physician  for  Bluff  Creek  township 
and  the  local  surgeon  for  the  Consolidated  Coal 
Company  and  the  C.  &  N.  W.  Ry.,  of  Buxton.  In  all 
these  he  is  acquitting  himself  with  satisfaction  to  his 
employers  and  with  credit  for  his  race. 

Dr.  Carter  holds  membership  in  the  following  organ- 
izations: Kappa  Alpha  Psi,  Mason,  National  Medical  As- 
sociation, Monroe  County  Medical  Society  and  Knights 
of  Pythias.  • 

Chandler,  Dr.  Edward  Marion  Augustus,  was  born 
in  Ocala,  Florida.  He  received  his  early  literary  train- 
ing in  his  native  home  and  in  the  A.  and  M.  College  of 
Florida.  He  later  entered  Howard  University,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C.,  and  graduated  from  the  College  Department 
in  1913.  He  was  awarded  a  scholarship  to  Clark  Uni- 
versity, Worcester,  Mass.  He  entered  Clark  in  the  fall 
of  that  year,  specializing  in  chemistry  and  received  his 


348  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

Master  of  Arts  degree  in  1914.  In  the  fall  of  1914  he 
secured  a  Fellowship  to  the  University  of  Illinois,  entered 
at  that  institution  specializing  in  chemistry.  Dr.  Chand- 
ler distinguished  himself  as  a  research  scholar  in  chem- 
istry and  was  elected  to  the  two  honorary  scientific 
societies.  In  1917  he  graduated  with  the  Ph.  D.  degree. 

Immediately  after  his  graduation  he  secured  connection 
in  the  chemical  laboratory  as  research  assistant  in  an  in- 
dustrial plant  in  Chicago. 

Chestnut,  Charles  Waddell,  was  born  in  Cleveland, 
Ohio,  June,  1858.  Young  Chestnut  received  his  prelimi- 
nary education  in  the  public  schools  of  Cleveland,  Ohio, 
and  later  in  those  of  North  Carolina,  where  his  father 
returned  after  the  Civil  War.  At  an  early  age  he  began 
to  teach  and  served  in  various  capacities  as  teacher  in 
both  North  and  South  Carolina.  He  was  chosen  the 
principal  of  the  Fayetteville  Normal  School  where  he  had 
been  teacher,  and  served  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of 
which  time  he  moved  to  New  York  City,  where  he  en- 
gaged in  some  form  of  journalism  in  Wall  Street.  From 
New  York  Mr.  Chestnut  went  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  the 
state  of  his  birth,  and  entered  the  service  of  the  New 
York,  Chicago  and  St.  Louis  Railroad  Co.  as  stenog- 
rapher. He  studied  in  the  legal  department  of  the 
company,  to  which  he  had  been  transferred,  and  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Ohio  bar  in  1887.  His  activities  as  a 
stenographer  and  court  reporter  however  have  kept  him 
so  busy  that  he  has  devoted  but  little  time  to  the  practice 
of  law. 

For  the  past  twenty-five  years  he  has  devoted  his  time 
to  reporting,  assisted  by  a  corps  of  stenographers.  Among 
his  literary  productions,  most  of  which  have  appeared  in 
"Atlantic  Monthly,"  are :  "The  Wife  of  His  Youth  and 
Other  Stories,"  "The  Conjure  Woman,"  in  1889.  "The 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  349 

House  Behind  the  Cedars,"  1900,  "The  Marrow  of 
Tradition,"  1901,  "The  Colonel's  Dream,"  1905,  and  the 
"Life  of  Frederick  Douglass"  which  forms  a  part  of 
Beacon's  Series  of  Biographies  of  Eminent  Americans. 

Mr.  Chestnut  is  identified  with  the  following  organi- 
zations :  The  Chamber  of  Commerce,  The  Rowf ant  Club, 
The  City  Club,  The  Cleveland  Bar  Association,  The 
Western  Reserve  Club,  and  the  Council  of  Sociology. 
Mr.  Chestnut  has  often  appeared  on  the  stage  in  inter- 
pretations of  his  stories  and  on  these  occasions  has  won 
the  applause  of  the  public. 

Coleman,  Julia  P.  H.,  was  born  in  North  Carolina. 
She  received  her  early  education  in  Scotie  Seminary, 
Concord,  N.  C.  She  entered  the  Pharmaceutical  Depart- 
ment of  Howard  University,  Washington,  D.  C.  and 
received  the  Phar.  D.  degree  in  1897.  She  subsequently 
entered  the  Pennsylvania  College  of  Pharmacy  in  Phila- 
delphia where  she  pursued  graduate  courses  in  pharmacy. 
For  ten  years  after  her  graduation  she  was  engaged  in 
the  drug  business  both  in  Philadelphia  and  in  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  About  six  years  ago  she  became  identified 
with  the  hair  preparation  business  and  organized  the 
Hair-Vim  Chemical  Co.,  Washington,  D.  C.,  of  which  she 
is  the  president  and  manager.  Mrs.  Coleman  has  recently 
established  a  branch  of  her  business  in  New  York  City, 
housed  in  her  own  property  which  is  said  to  have  cost  her 
$30,000. 

Conrad,  George  Washington  Bryant,  was  born  at 
Xenia,  Ohio,  June  22,  1867.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Xenia,  and  at  Richmond, 
Indiana,  where  he  pursued  a  course  in  business.  He  sub- 
sequently entered  Oberlin  College  in  Ohio  and  later 
matriculated  in  the  law  department  of  the  University  of 
Michigan,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  with  the 


WHO'S    WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  351 

LL.  B.  degree  in  1902.  Mr.  Conrad  has  been  connected 
with  the  Pennsylvania  Railroad  system  for  a  number  of 
years,  serving  in  the  capacity  of  stenographer  and  tele- 
graph operator  and  private  secretary  to  Colonel  J.  F. 
Miller,  vice  president  of  the  railroad.  At  his  graduation 
from  the  law  school  he  was  employed  by  that  company 
and  assigned  to  the  claim  department  as  assistant. 

Mr.  Conrad  was  one  of  the  United  States  Commis- 
sioners at  the  Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition  held  at  St. 
Louis,  Missouri,  from  1903-4. 

Cook,  Will  Marion,  is  a  musician  of  international 
reputation.  His  musical  compositions  have  thrilled  the 
hearts  of  music  lovers  in  both  continents.  As  director  of 
the  New  York  Syncopated  Orchestra  he  has  helped 
materially  to  attract  attention  of  the  white  public  to  the 
excellence  of  Negro-composed  music  and  the  skillfumess 
of  Negro  artists.  Some  of  the  compositions  which  have 
come  from  his  pen  are :  "Bandana  Land,"  "The  Casion 
Girl,"  "Cruel  Popupa,"  and  other  popular  pieces.  He 
has  just  returned  from  a  season  engagement  in  London, 
England,  where  the  excellence  of  his  work  and  that  of 
artists  under  his  direction  has  elicted  favorable  comment 
from  the  music  critics  of  London. 

Cotter,  Joseph  S.  Jr.,  was  born  in  Louisville,  Ky., 
September,  1895,  the  son  of  Joseph  S.  Cotter.  He 
graduated  from  the  Central  High  School  of  that  city,  and 
entered  the  class  of  1915  in  Fisk  University.  At  the 
close  of  his  second  year  he  was  compelled  to  give  up  his 
studies  on  account  of  ill  health,  but  not  before  he  had 
been  chosen  president  of  his  class,  and  made  brilliant 
records  in  scholarship  and  as  a  member  of  the  football 
team. 

He  served  in  an  editorial  capacity  with  the  Louisville 
Leader  and  the  Courier- Journal  but  later  turned  his  at- 


352  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

tention  to  the  writing  of  poetry.  He  attained  a  degree  of 
literary  merit  which  led  Cole  Young  Rice  to  rank  his 
work  with  that  of  Paul  Laurence  Dunbar  and  James 
Weldon  Johnson. 

In  the  spring  of  1918,  The  Cornhill  Company,  (Bos- 
ton), published  his  "The  Band  of  Gideon  and  Other 
Lyrics."  At  the  time  of  his  death,  February  3,  1919,  he 
left  two  unpublished  books,  one  of  verses  "Out  of  the 
Shadows,"  and  a  collection  of  "One  Act  Negro  Plays" 
which  is  soon  to  appear. 

Cotter,  Joseph  S.,  Sr.,  was  born  in  Kentucky  in  1861, 
and  with  the  exception  of  two  short  terms  of  night  school 
he  is  entirely  self-educated.  He  began  to  teach  school 
at  the  age  of  twenty-three,  and  is  today  the  principal  of 
the  S.  Coleridge  Taylor  School  in  Louisville,  Ky. 

Mr.  Cotter  has  been  called  the  South's  premier  Negro 
poet  and  a  worthy  successor  to  the  late  Paul  Laurence 
Dunbar.  Among  his  best  known  writings  are  "Caleb,  the 
Degenerate,"  a  play  in  four  acts,  "Sequel  to  the  Pied 
Piper  of  Hamlin,"  "Negro  Tales,"  "I'm  Wondering." 
"The  Christmas  Tree,"  and  "June  Breezes  and  Roses." 
His  story  telling  ability  is  well  known  throughout  the 
country.  Some  of  his  best  poems  were  written  to  his 
son,  Joseph  S.  Cotter,  Jr.,  the  invalid. 

Cottrill,  Charles  A.,  was  born  at  Findlay,  Ohio,  De- 
cember 3,  1863.  He  was  educated  in  the  public  schools 
of  Toledo,  Ohio,  and  the  Ohio  State  Business  University. 
He  studied  law  under  John  F.  Kumber  of  Toledo,  Ohio, 
while  he  was  chief  deputy  recorder  of  Lucas  County, 
Ohio. 

Mr.  Cottrill  began  his  public  career  as  clerk  in  the 
internal  revenue  service  in  1881  and  was  advanced  from 


THE  LATE  JOSEPH   S.   COTTER,  JR. 


354  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

one  position  of  responsibility  to  another.  In  1878-9  he 
was  bookkeeper  in  the  Treasury  office,  from  1888-1893 
he  was  corporation  clerk  in  the  State  department  of 
Ohio ;  was  chief  deputy  recorder  of  Lucas  County  from 
1893-1910;  in  1911  he  was  appointed  collector  of  internal 
revenue  for  the  United  States  for  the  District  of  Hawaii. 
He  served  in  that  capacity  until  1915. 

Mr.  Cottrill  was  identified  with  a  number  of  clubs  and 
fraternity  organizations  among  them  being,  The  Ad  Club 
of  Honolulu,  Mason,  Knights  Templar,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  Odd  Fellows  and  member  of  the  Central  Union 
church  of  Honolulu.  Mr.  Cottrill  is  making  his  home  in 
Honolulu,  Hawaii. 

Crabb,  Edward  Joseph,  was  born  at  Tuscaloosa,  Ala- 
bama, December  24,  1865.  He  received  his  early  edu- 
cation in  the  private  schools  of  Furman  and  Jeremiah 
Barnes  and  at  Talladega  College.  From  1882-85  he 
gained  his  knowledge  of  electricity  through  the  corres- 
pondence course  of  the  International  Correspondence 
School  of  Scranton,  Penn.  This  course  was  pursued 
while  he  was  working  in  the  Birmingham  shops  of  the 
Louisville  &  Nashville  Railroad.  In  1890  he  was  ad- 
vanced to  the  position  of  utility  man.  He  served  in  that 
capacity  for  a  year  when  he  severed  his  connection  with 
this  company  to  become  an  instructor  in  the  Westing- 
house  Air  Brake  Co.,  of  Pittsburgh,  Penn.  His  duty  as 
instructor  took  him  all  over  the  United  States  and  Can- 
ada. Mr.  Crabb's  efficient  work  as  inspector  was  recog- 
nized by  his  employers  and  they  appointed  him  air  brake 
inspector.  He  occupied  this  position  for  two  years 
(1901-3)  and  then  became  connected  with  the  Erie  rail- 
road as  foreman  of  electricians  in  the  lighting  depart- 
ment. 

Craig,  Arthur  Ulysses,  was  born  at  Weston,  Missouri. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  355 

December  I,  1871.  His  grammar  school  training  was  re- 
ceived in  the  public  schools  of  Weston  and  his  high 
school  training  in  Atchison,  Kansas.  He  entered  the 
Electrical  Engineering  School  of  the  University  of  Kan- 
sas in  1892,  and  completed  the  four  year  course  in  three 
years,  receiving  his  B.  S.  degree  in  1895.  Mr.  Craig  had 
the  honor  to  be  the  first  colored  man  to  graduate  as  an 
electrical  engineer  in  the  United  States. 

Following  his  graduation  Mr.  Craig  went  to  Sweden 
and  studied  the  Sloyd  System  under  the  famous  master 
Herr  Otto  Solomon,  the  founder  of  the  system.  While 
in  Europe  he  studied  industrial  training  in  London,  Eng- 
land, Stockholm  and  Goteberg,  Sweden.  On  his  return 
he  entered  Columbia  University  and  specialized  in 
psychology  and  manual  training. 

Mr.  Craig  is  turning  his  training  to  a  profitable  account. 
He  has  been  identified  with  a  number  of  industrial  ac- 
tivities both  in  and  out  of  the  school  room.  His  first 
connection  was  with  the  Tuskegee  Institute  in  Alabama. 
He  remained  with  this  institution  from  1896  to  1901.  He 
was  night  principal  of  the  Armstrong  Training  School  in 
Washington,  D.  C.,  three  consecutive  years,  1904-5  and  6. 
He  was  identified  for  a  time  with  F.  B.  Stearn  &  Co., 
automobile  manufacturers.  It  was  he  who  introduced 
mechanical  and  architectural  drawing  in  the  colored 
schools  of  the  District  of  Columbia  and  helped  to  for- 
mulate manual  training  courses  of  study  in  a  number  of 
city  schools.  He  originated  the  public  play  grounds  of 
the  District  of  Columbia  and  for  three  years  was  super- 
intendent. He  is  in  a  great  measure  responsible  for  the 
establishment  of  the  Colored  Social  Settlement  house  of 
Washington,  D.  C.,  and  the  introduction  of  moving  pic- 
tures in  churches  for  educational  and  religious  purposes. 
He  is  also  responsible  for  the  movement  to  convert 
Frederick  Douglass'  home  into  a  memorial. 


356  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

He  holds  membership  in  the  following  organizations: 
American  Negro  Academy,  Mason,  Teachers'  Association 
of  Washington,  D.  C,  National  Educational  Association 
and  the  National  Association  for  the  Advancement  of 
Colored  People. 

Creditt,  Dr.  William  Abraham,  was  Oborn  at  Balti- 
more, Maryland,  July  14,  1864.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one 
he  received  his  A.  B.  degree  from  Lincoln  (1885)  and  the 
A.  M.  degree  a  year  later.  He  received  his  S.  T.  B. 
degree  in  1889  and  had  the  honor  to  be  the  class  orator. 
Dr.  Creditt  was  ordained  a  minister  in  the  Baptist  church 
immediately  after  his  graduation  and  has  been  engaged 
in  preaching  and  teaching  ever  since.  He  was  a  teacher 
in  the  State  University,  Louisville,  18901900,  in  the  State 
Normal  School,  Frankfort,  Ky.,  1890-1,  and  pastor  of  the 
church  in  that  community.  He  was  elected  pastor  of  the 
Berean  Baptist  Church  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  1892  and 
served  for  five  years.  He  resigned  this  position  to  be- 
come the  pastor  of  the  Cherry  Street  Baptist  church  in 
Philadelphia,  Penn.  Under  his  influence  the  church  was 
reorganized  and  a  $100,000  edifice  was  erected  to  take 
the  place  of  the  old  building.  While  pastoring  in  Phil- 
adelphia Dr.  Creditt  conceived  the  idea  of  establishing 
an  industrial  training  school  for  the  colored  youths  of 
the  North.  He  communicated  his  idea  to  John  S.  Tower, 
and  in  1905  the  Downingtown  Industrial  Training  School 
was  established  in  Downingtown,  Penn.,  and  Dr.  Creditt 
became  its  president.  In  1915,  the  demands  of  the  in- 
stitution for  his  undivided  attention  was  so  great  that  he 
resigned  his  position  as  pastor  to  devote  his  time  to  the 
building  of  the  institution.  Dr.  Creditt  has  not  confined 
his  activities  within  the  church  and  school-room.  He  has 
to  his  credit  the  organization  of  the  Cherry  Building  and 
Loan  Association  and  the  Reliable  Mutual,  Insurance  Co. 


WIIOH    WHO    IX    THE    XECRO    RACE.  357 

In  recognition  of  his  service  to  his  people  and  to  humanity 
at  large  his  Alma  Mater  has  seen  fit  to  confer  upon  him 
the  D.  D.  and  LL.  D.  degrees. 

Crogman,  Dr.  William  Henry,  was  born  at  St.  Mar- 
tins, Danish  West  Indies,  May  5,  1841.  Dr.  Crogman 
entered  Atlanta  University,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  and  received 
his  A.  B.  degree  in  1876;  three  years  later  the  master 
degree.  He  became  identified  with  Clark  University  in 
1876,  the  year  of  its  organization,  and  has  continued  in 
.the  service  of  that  institution  until  today.  From  1903- 
1910  he  was  president  of  the  institution  and  since  that 
time  Professor  of  Ancient  Languages.  His  Alma  Mater 
saw  fit  to  confer  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Letters  in  1901  and  Clark  University  the  honorary  LL.  D. 
On  July  10,  1878,  Dr.  Crogman  married  Mavinid  C.  Mott, 
of  Charlotte,  N.  C.,  and  of  this  union  eight  children  have 
been  born. 

Dr.  Crogman  is  a  charter  member  of  Clark  University 
and  Gammon  Theological  Seminary  and  the  secretary  of 
the  board  of  trustees.  He  has  been  superintendent  of  the 
Sunday  School  of  Clark  University  and  has  been  for 
three  times  a  member  of  the  General  Conference.  He  has 
held  offices  of  distinction  in  his  church,  among  them, 
member  of  the  University  Senate,  and  the  Commission 
for  the  Unification  of  the  Book  Concern.  Dr.  Crogman 
is  a  member  of  the  American  Philological  Association, 
American  Geographical  Society  and  the  author  of  "Talks 
for  the  Times." 

Cummings,  Harry  Sythe,  was  born  in  Baltimore, 
Md.,  May  19,  1866.  His  early  intellectual  training  was 
received  in  the  public  schools  of  Baltimore.  He  entered 
Lincoln  University,  Penn.,  and  received  his  B.  A.  degree 
in  the  spring  of  1886.  Three  years  later  he  received  his 
LL.  B.  from  the  University  of  Maryland.  That  very  year 


JAMES  B.  DUDLEY,  LL.D. 
CHARLES  WADDELL  CHESTNUT. 


3.  WILLIAM  II.   CROGMAN,  LI,.D. 

4.  MATHEW  W.  DOGAN,  D.D.. 

President     Wiley     University. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  359 

he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Maryland  and  began  prac- 
ticing in  Baltimore. 

Mr.  Cummings  has  been  a  member  of  the  city  council 
of  Baltimore  since  1891,  and  has  been  instrumental  in 
fighting  a  number  of  segregation  ordinances  which  are 
brought  up  in  the  council  from  time  to  time.  He  is  the 
director  of  the  House  of  Reformation  for  Colored 
Youths.  In  1892  and  in  1904  he  was  one  of  the  delegates 
from  Baltimore  to  the  Republican  National  Convention 
in  Minneapolis  and  Chicago  repectively  and  in  1904  he 
seconded  the  nomination  of  Theodore  Roosevelt. 

Mr.  Cummings  is  identified  with  the  following  organ- 
izations: Knights  of  Pythias,  Masons  and  Odd  Fellows. 

Curtis,  Austin  Maurice,  was  born  in  Raleigh,  N.  C, 
January  15,  1868.  He  received  his  early  training  in  the 
public  schools  of  Raleigh  and  his  preparation  for  his 
medical  course  at  Lincoln  University,  Penn.  He  received 
his  A.  B.  degree  in  1888.  He  entered  the  medical  depart- 
ment of  the  Northwestern  University  at  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois, and  received  his  M.  D.  degree  in  1891.  A  year  after 
his  graduation  he  was  appointed  attending  surgeon  of 
Provident  Hospital,  Chicago,  Illinois.  In  1896  he  was 
appointed  an  attending  surgeon  in  the  Cook  County  Hos- 
pital. From  Provident  Hospital  Dr.  Curtis  went  to  the 
Freedman's  Hospital  as  the  Surgeon-in-Chief ,  and  served 
from  1898-1902.  Since  that  time  he  has  been  connected 
with  the  hospital  and  medical  department  of  Howard  in 
various  capacities.  He  has  served  as  associate  professor 
of  clinical  surgery  in  the  Medical  Post  Graduate  School 
and  Professor  of  Surgery.  He  is  also  attending  surgeon 
in  the  Freedman's  Hospital.  Dr.  Curtis'  success  as  a 
surgeon  is  well  known  in  the  medical  world  and  his  work 
in  the  hospital  has  received  recognition.  He  holds  mem- 
bership in  the  following  organizations:  Mason,  Mu-So- 


360  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

Lit,  National  Medical  Association,  American  Medical 
Association,  Medico  Chirurgical  Society  of  the  District 
of  Columbia  and  the  Physician  Reading  Club. 

Davidson,  Shellry  James,  was  born  at  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky, May  10,  1868.  He  received  his  preliminary  edu- 
cation in  the  public  schools  of  Lexington  and  Louisville, 
Ky.,  and  his  A.  B.  at  Howard  University  in  the  spring  of 
1893.  At  his  graduation  Mr.  Davidson  secured  a  clerical 
position  in  the  postoffice  department  of  Washington,  D. 

C,  and  studied  law  under  Colonel  William  A.  Cook  dur- 
ing his  spare  hours. 

While  in  the  postoffice  Mr.  Davidson  made  a  special 
study  of  adding  machines  and  invented  a  rewinding 
device  for  totalling  and  tabulating  accounts  with  an  at- 
tachment to  total  money  order  reports  to  the  Postmaster 
General.  He  was  commissioned  by  the  Treasury  authori- 
ties to  study  the  use  and  operation  of  adding  machines  at 
Detroit,  Michigan. 

Mr.  Davidson  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Washington, 

D.  C.,  three  years  later  to  the  courts  of  appeals  to  the 
District  of  Columbia,  and  in  1912  to  the  Supreme  Court 
of  the  United  States.    M'r.  Davidson  is  connected  with  the 
following  organizations :  Masons,  Odd  Fellows,  Colored 
Bar  Association,  District   of   Columbia  and   Mu-So-Lit 
Club. 

Davis,  Benjamin  Jefferson,  was  born  in  Davvson, 
Georgia,  in  1870.  While  still  in  his  teens  he  joined  the 
Grand  United  Order  of  Odd  Fellows,  and  became  inter- 
ested in  the  development  of  the  order.  His  zeal  and 
initiative  were  soon  recognized  and  in  1891  he  was  made 
past  officer  of  the  order  and  a  year  later  a  member  of 
the  District  Grand  Lodge.  His  promotion  from  this 
time  was  rapid.  In  1900  he  was  elected  District  Grand 
Treasurer;  in  1904,  Grand  Director  of  the  North  Branch 


362  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

in  Columbus,  Ohio;  Grand  Treasurer  of  the  North 
Branch  in  1906;  Chief  Justice  of  the  Supreme  Court  in 
1910,  in  Baltimore,  Md. ;  District  Grand  Secretary,  a 
position  which  he  held  for  sixteen  consecutive  terms,  and 
finally  the  General  Manager  of  the  Corporation  of  the 
Order  in  America. 

Mr.  Davis'  greatest  constructive  service  to  the  order 
is  the  part  he  played  in  the  erection  of  the  Odd  Fellows 
block  in  Atlanta,  Georgia,  and  the  substantial  increase  in 
the  wealth  of  the  organization.  Of  equal  importance  as 
a  beneficial  contribution  is  his  establishment  of  a  bureau 
of  endowment  for  widows  and  orphans.  To  put  his  plan 
into  effect  it  was  necessary  to  amend  the  constitution 
whereby  every  member  was  to  carry  a  death  benefit  of  at 
least  $200  and  not  more  than  $500. 

Mr.  Davis  is  also  the  publisher  of  "The  Atlanta  Inde- 
pendent," a  weekly  paper  with  a  wide  circulation.  He  is 
a  Republican  and  has  served  as  delegate-at-large  to  the 
Republican  National  Convention. 

Dett,  R.  Nathaniel,  was  born  at  Drummonville, 
Ontario,  Canada,  in  1882.  He  received  his  preliminary 
education  in  Drummonville.  He  subsequently  entered 
the  Niagara  Falls  Collegiate  Institute  and  graduated  in 
1903.  Five  years  after  the  completion  of  his  course  at 
the  institution  he  received  the  Bachelor  of  Music  degree 
from  Oberlin  Conservatory  of  Music.  He  also  took 
special  courses  in  music  in  Oliver  Halstead  Conservatory 
of  Music. 

Since  his  graduation  Mr.  Dett  has  devoted  his  time  to 
the  teaching  of  music,  and  has  served  as  director  of 
music  to  a  number  of  Negro  schools,  among  them,  Lin- 
coln Institute,  Jefferson  City,  Mo.,  Lane  College,  Jackson. 
Hampton  Institute,  Hampton,  Va. 

Mr.  Dett  is  the  author  and  composer  of  a  number  of 


WHO'S   WHO   IN   THE    NEGRO    RACE.  363 

musical  selections  among  which  are:  "Listen  to  the 
Lambs,"  a  choral  work ;  "The  Magnolia  Suite,"  parts  one 
and  two ;  "In  the  Bottoms,"  a  suite  for  piano  also.  "The 
Album  of  a  Heart"  appeared  in  1911  and  received  favor- 
able mention.  He  is  the  director  of  the  Choral  Union 
of  Hampton  and  is  identified  with  all  literary  and  musi- 
cal activities  of  the  institution.  He  is  a  member  of  the 
Musicians  League  of  America. 

Diggs,  James  Robert  Lincoln,  was  born  in  Upper 
Marlboro,  Md.,  on  November  7,  1866.  He  attended 
Wayland  Seminary,  Washington,  D.  C,  and  completed 
the  preparatory,  Normal  and  Theological  courses.  He 
matriculated  at  Bucknell  University,  Lewisburg,  Tenn., 
and  received  his  B.  A.  degree  in  1898  and  a  year  later  his 
M.  A.  degree. 

His  desire  for  thoroughness  in  the  educational  world 
led  him  onward.  He  entered  Cornell  University  in  New 
York  where  he  pursued  special  courses  and  a  year  later 
he  entered  Illinois  Wesleyan  University  in  Bloomington 
and  three  years  later  (1906)  received  his  Ph.  D.  degree. 
Doctor  Diggs  was  singularly  honored  while  in  Bucknell 
University  for  his  high  scholarship.  He  was  president 
of  the  Theta  Alpha  Literary  Society.  Twice  represented 
his  Alma  Mater  in  successful  inter-collegiate  debates  and 
won  the  prize  in  the  Junior  debate.  He  was  an  honor 
man  of  the  University. 

Dr.  Diggs  entered  the  teaching  profession  first  as  a 
public  school  teacher  and  subsequently  as  a  college  pro- 
fessor and  dean.  At  Virginia  Union  University  he  was 
professor  of  Latin,  Economics  and  Philosophy.  He 
served  respectively  as  president  of  State  University, 
Louisville,  Ky.,  1906-8;  Virginia  Seminary  from  1908- 
1 1 ;  Dean  of  the  College  Department  of  Selma  Univer- 
sity, 1911-14;  and  president  of  Clayton  Williams  Univer- 


364  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

sity,  Baltimore,  Md.,  1914.  He  is  also  pastor  of  Trinity 
Baptist  Church  of  Baltimore. 

Dr.  Diggs  holds  membership  in  a  number  of  organ- 
izations, among  which  are  American  Academy  of  Political 
and  Social  Sciences,  Negro  Academy,  American  Geo- 
graphical Society,  The  N.  A.  A.  A.  C.  P.,  the  Alumni 
Associations  of  Bucknell,  and  Virginian  Union  Univer- 
sity. 

Dogan,  Dr.  Mathew  Winfred,  was  born  at  Pontotec, 
Mississippi,  December  21,  1863.  His  early  training  was 
received  in  his  native  town  and  later  he  entered  Rust 
University,  Holly  Spring,  Mississippi.  He  graduated 
from  the  preparatory  department  and  later  entered  the 
college  department  and  graduated  at  the  head  of  his 
class  in  the  spring  of  1886.  At  the  completion  of  the 
college  course  Mr.  Dogan  was  appointed  to  a  place  on 
the  faculty  of  Rust  University  and  five  years  later,  1891, 
he  was  elected  teacher  of  mathematics  in  the  Central 
Tennessee  College,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  now  known  as 
Welden  University.  From  Welden  University  he  went 
to  Wiley  in  1896,  as  president  of  that  institution  and  has 
held  that  position  ever  since.  Dr.  Dogan  is  one  of  the 
most  influential  men  in  the  M.  E.  conference.  He  has 
represented  his  conference  as  a  delgate  to  the  General 
Conference  since  1904  and  has  just  been  elected  for  the 
fifth  time  to  that  great  office.  Dr.  Dogan's  social  as  well 
as  his  educational  value  to  the  church  has  been  recog- 
nized by  those  in  high  authority.  He  has  been  appointed 
a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education,  a  board  which 
determines  the  educational  policies  of  the  schools  of  the 
church.  His  responsibilities  as  the  chief  executive  of 
Wiley  University  and  as  a  leading  member  of  his  church 
have  not  lessened  his  interest  in  the  other  activities  of 
life.  He  was  president  of  the  Standard  Mutual  Fire 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  365 

Insurance  Co.,  president  of  the  Texas  State  Teachers' 
Association  and  an  active  member  of  the  Knights  of 
Pythias. 

Perhaps  it  is  as  an  educator  that  Dr.  Dogan  is  best 
known.  As  the  president  of  Wiley  he  has  succeeded  in 
raising  the  status  of  the  school  to  an  enviable  position 
among  the  Negro  schools  for  the  higher  education  of  the 
youth  of  the  race.  Under  his  supervision  there  has  just 
been  erected  a  new  Administration  building,  the  most 
modern  and  beautiful  in  the  Freedman's  Aid  System,  and 
a  new  refectory.  The  College  Department  has  been  re- 
juvenated by  an  excellent  corps  of  accomplished  teachers 
from  the  Northern  institutions  of  learning  all  of  which 
serve  as  a  testimony  of  Dr.  Dogan's  capacity  for  accom- 
plishing big  things.  In  recognition  of  his  service  to  his 
fellowmen  his  Alma  Mater  conferred  upon  him  the 
degree  of  Ph.  D.  in  1904,  New  Orleans  University  the 
degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in  1910.  Dr.  Dogan  is  a 
member  of  the  Advisory  Board  of  the  National  Cyclo- 
pedia of  the  Colored  Race,  the  first  volume  of  which 
made  its  appearance  in  1919. 

Dorsey,  Reverend  Father  John  Henry,  was  born  at 
Baltimore,  Md.,  in  the  year  of  1873.  He  was  baptized  in 
the  St.  Francis  Xavier  Catholic  Church,  the  oldest  in 
Baltimore,  and  received  his  early  literary  training  in  the 
public  schools  of  Baltimore.  At  an  early  age  he  showed 
a  leaning  toward  the  ministry.  He  came  under  the  in- 
fluence of  the  very  Reverend  Father  John  Slottery  who 
encouraged  and  started  him  on  his  career.  His  first  in- 
structor was  the  most  Reverend  Archbishop  John  Ireland 
of  St.  Paul,  Minn.  He  studied  under  him  for  a  year, 
1888-1889.  He  subsequently  entered  Epiphany  College 
and  graduated  in  1893.  In  the  fall  of  that  same  year  he 
enrolled  for  colored  missions  at  St.  Joseph's  Seminary, 


366  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Baltimore,  but  on  account  of  his  failing  health  was  forced 
to  withdraw  and  seek  less  strenuous  work.  He  became  a 
teacher  in  the  public  schools  of  Maryland  and  Virginia ; 
this  line  of  work  he  pursued  for  four  years,  at  the  end 
of  which  he  returned  to  the  Seminary  and  resumed  his 
studies  for  the  priesthood.  Upon  the  completion  of  the 
courses  offered  in  the  Seminary  he  was  ordained  a  priest 
in  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  in  the  Cathedral  at  Balti- 
more by  his  Eminence  James,  Cardinal  Gibbons,  the  2ist 
of  June,  1902.  Father  Dorsey  was  appointed  pastor  of 
the  Colored  Catholic  Church  of  Pine  Bluff,  Arkansas, 
where  he  served  a  year.  He  was  subsequently  appointed 
a  missionary  priest  among  the  Southern  Negroes  and  the 
director  of  Knights  of  Peter  Claver,  an  organization  for 
Colored  People  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faith. 

Douglass,  Joseph  Henry,  was  born  in  Washington, 
D.  C,  on  July  3,  1871.  He  was  the  grandson  of 
Frederick  Douglass,  the  most  distinguished  propagandist 
against  slavery  and  the  leading  Negro  figure  among  the 
Abolitionists.  He  received  his  preliminary  education  in 
the  public  schools  of  New  York  and  Washington,  and  his 
musical  training  in  the  New  England  Conservatory  of 
Music,  Boston,  Mass. 

Upon  the  completion  of  his  course  he  was  appointed 
an  instructor  of  violin  at  Howard  University,  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  He  severed  his  connections  with  Howard 
after  a  number  of  years  to  enter  into  the  activities  of  a 
concert  soloist.  In  that  capacity  he  has  appeared  before 
audiences  both  white  and  black  all  over  the  country,  re- 
ceiving the  commendations  of  the  musical  critics  of  the 
daily  papers  wherever  he  appears.  The  Victor  Talking 
Company  recognized  his  skill  on  the  violin  and  have  asked 
him  on  several  occasions  to  make  records  for  them. 

Dubois,  Doctor  W.  E.  Burghardt,  was   born  in   Great 


DR.   W.  E.  B.  DU  BOIS,  EDITOR  OF  THE  "CRISIS,"  THE  WORLD'S  GREATEST 
NEGRO    MAGAZINE. 


36£  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Barrington,  Feb.  23,  1868.  He  was  educated  at  Fisk  Uni- 
versity, Harvard  University  and  the  University  of  Berlin. 
He  was  two  years  a  fellow  at  Harvard  and  holds  her 
degree  of  Ph.  D.  He  has  taught  at  Wilberforce,  Ohio, 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  and  in  the  Atlanta  Uni- 
versity. 

Dr.  Dubois  is  the  author  of  "Suppression  of  the 
African  Slave  Trade,"  also  "Harvard  Historical  Students 
No.  i,"  "Souls  of  Black  Folk,"  "The  Negro,"  "John 
Brown,"  and  a  number  of  articles  contributed  to  the 
leading  magazine  of  the  country.  "Darkwater,"  his 
latest  volume,  is  just  off  the  press. 

Dr.  Dubois  is  at  present  Director  of  Research  for  the 
National  Association  for  the  Advancement  of  Colored 
People  and  the  editor  of  the  Crisis  Magazine,  the  organ 
of  the  association. 

As  the  official  correspondent  of  the  Crisis,  Dr.  Dubois 
visited  France  and  the  battlefields  of  Flanders.  While 
in  Paris  he  was  instrumental  in  having  an  International 
Negro  Conference  for  the  consideration  of  problems 
which  affect  the  people  of  color  all  over  the  world. 

In  the  field  of  Sociology  Dr.  Dubois  takes  his  place  in 
the  front  ranks.  He  is  one  of  the  best  informed  men  on 
questions  relating  to  the  Negro  in  America.  Through  the 
pages  of  the  Crisis,  he  is  conducting  a  propaganda  for 
the  social,  political  and  economic  emancipation  of  the 
Negro. 

Dudley,  James  Benson,  was  born  at  Wilmington,  N. 
C,  on  November  2,  1859,  the  son  of  John  Bishop  and 
Annie  Dudley.  He  was  a  student  for  a  period  in  Shaw 
University,  Raleigh,  North  Carolina.  In  1897,  the  honor- 
ary degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred*  upon  him 
by  Livingston  College  and  the  LL.  D.  degree  by  Wilber- 
force Universitv  in  IQOO. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  369 

Mr.  Dudley  began  his  career  as  an  educator  in  the 
rural  schools  of  Wilmington  and  step  by  step  he  rose  to 
the  position  as  head  of  the  State  Agricultural  and  Tech- 
nical College,  Greensboro,  N.  C.  He  founded  the  Metro- 
politan Trust  Company  and  the  Pioneer  Building  and 
Loan  Association  of  Greensboro,  N.  C.  He  is  president 
of  the  North  Carolina  Teachers'  Association;  trustee  of 
the  National  Religious  Training  School ;  Advisory  mem- 
ber Board  of  Directors  Inter-State  Church  Association 
for  Whites  and  Negroes ;  President  of  the  North  Carolina 
Anti-Tuberculosis  League ;  Chairman  of  the  Negro  Rail- 
road Commission.  He  is  a  Mason,  a  member  of  the 
Knights  of  Pythias  and  Odd  Fellows. 

Dunbar,  Paul  Lawrence,  born  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  June 
27,  1872,  died  at  Dayton,  Ohio,  February  9,  1906.  Dun- 
bar's  greatest  service  to  the  race  perhaps  lies  in  the 
articulate  expression  which  he  gave  to  the  language  of 
his  people.  Of  him,  Wliliam  Dean  Howells  wrote: 
"Some  of  these  (poems)  I  thought  very  good.  What  I 
mean  is  several  people  might  have  written  them,  but  I 
do  not  know  anyone  else  at  present  who  could  quite  have 
written  his  dialect  pieces.  They  are  derivations  and 
reports  of  what  passes  in  the  hearts  and  mind  of  a  lowly 
people  whose  poetry  had  hitherto  been  inarticulately  ex- 
pressed, but  now  finds  for  the  first  time  in  our  tongue, 
literary  interpretation  of  a  very  artistic  completeness. 

Dyson,  Walter,  was  born  at  Paris,  Illinois,  Septem- 
ber 14,  1882.  At  the  completion  of  his  preparatory  train- 
ing he  entered  Fisk  University,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  and  re- 
ceived his  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  in  1903.  Not  satis- 
fied with  the  training  which  he  had  received  at  Fisk,  he 
entered  Yale  University  where  he  pursued  supplementary 
courses  in  history,  economics,  etc.  This  institution  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1905.  Immedi- 

24 


370  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

ately  after  his  graduation  he  received  an  appointment  to 
teach  in  the  public  schools  of  his  native  town.  He  left  this 
position  to  fill  the  chair  of  History  at  Howard  University, 
Washington,  D.  C.  Professor  Dyson,  always  eager  to 
enlarge  his  storehouse  of  knowledge,  enrolled  in  the  Post 
Graduate  Department  of  Chicago  University  Summer 
Session  and  received  his  Master's  Degree  in  1913.  In 
1914-1915  he  was  graduate  student  in  History  and 
Economics  in  Columbia  University,  New  York.  Pro- 
fessor Dyson  is  the  author  of  a  "Syllabus  of  the  United 
States  History,"  which  made  its  appearance  in  1908;  a 
"History  Text  Book  Review  Chart,"  which  was  published 
in  1912;  "The  District  of  Columbia  in  the  Civil  War," 
published  in  1913  and  articles  relating  to  the  subject  of 
history  in  some  of  the  National  Magazines.  Professor 
Dyson  is  an  authority  on  Ancient  History. 

In  addition  to  his  work  as  an  educator  he  is  a  zealous 
worker  in  the  Sunday  School  and  the  International  Bible 
Study  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  Professor  Dyson  is  identified 
with  the  following  organizations:  The  National  Associ- 
ation for  the  Advancement  of  Colored  People,  Mason, 
and  the  History  Teacher's  Association  of  the  Middle 
States  and  Maryland. 

Ellis,  George  Washington,  was  born  at  Western, 
Platte  County,  Mo.,  May  4,  1875.  His  preliminary  train- 
ing was  received  at  Western  and  his  high  school  training 
at  Atchison,  Kansas.  He  graduated  from  the  Atchison 
High  School  in  1891  and  entered  the  law  department  of 
the  University  of  Kansas.  In  1893  he  received  his  LL. 
B.  from  that  institution  and  began  the  practice  of  law. 
He  spent  four  years  while  in  the  actual  practice  of  law, 
pursuing  courses  of  study  in  the  college  department  of 
the  University  of  Kansas.  Finishing  his  work  in  this 
institution  he  went  to  New  York  and  took  up  graduate 


WHO'S    WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  371 

work  in  the  Gunton's  Institute  of  Economics  and  So- 
ciology. While  in  New  York  he  took  advantage  of  the 
opportunity  to  qualify  himself  as  a  stenographer  and 
entered  the 'Gray  School  of  Stenography  and  Typewrit- 
ing. After  the  completion  of  his  course  in  stenography 
Mr.  Ellis  went  to  Washington,  D.  C,  and  spent  two  years 
pursuing  courses  in  Philosophy  and  Psychology  at 
Howard  University.  In  1900,  after  successfully  passing 
an  examination,  he  was  appointed  clerk  in  the  Bureau  of 
Census  Department  of  the  Interior.  Two  years  later 
(1902),  President  Roosevelt  appointed  him  secretary  of 
the  American  Legation  at  Liberia.  He  served  for  eight 
years  in  that  capacity.  Since  his  return  he  has  been 
engaged  in  the  practice  of  law  in  Chicago.  While  in 
Africa  he  made  an  ethnographical  study  of  Africa  com- 
munities and  gathered  numerous  specimens  which  he  has 
loaned  to  the  National  Museum  in  Washington,  D.  C. 
Mr.  Ellis  is  a  voluminous  writer,  all  his  work  receiving  in- 
ternational recognition.  He  was  elected  Fellow  of  the 
Geographical  Society  of  Great  Britain,  African  Society  of 
London,  American  Academy  of  Social  and  Political 
Science,  American  Political  Science  Association,  Ameri- 
can Sociological  Society,  American  Society  of  Inter- 
national Law,  Cook  County  Bar  Association,  Knight 
Commander  of  the  Luther  Burbank  Society,  and  the 
National  Independent  Equal  Rights  League.  He  was 
elected  president  of  this  organization  in  1915.  Among 
some  of  the  literary  works  which  have  come  from  his 
pen  are :  "The  Leopard's  Claw,"  "Negro  Culture  in  West 
Africa,"  "The  Psychology  of  American  Race  Prejudice," 
"Negro  Achievement  in  Social  Progress,"  "Liberia  in  the 
Political  Psychology  of  West  Africa,"  "Dynamic  Factors 
in  the  Liberia  Situation,"  "Islam  as  a  Factor  in  the  West 
African  Culture,"  "Education  in  Africa,"  "Political  In- 


372  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

stitutions  in  Liberia,"  "Morality  in  the  African  Black 
Belt." 

Mr.  Ellis  is  as  ardent  in  his  religious  activities  as  he 
is  in  his  secular  activities.  As  a  member  of  the  Methodist 
Church  he  has  been  elected  a  delegate  to  the  General 
Conference  1912-1916.  His  name  appeared  in  the  Who's 
Who  in  America  in  1912 — one  of  the  less  than  half 
dozen  names  of  Negroes  to  appear  in  this  work;  the 
Book  of  Chicagoans,  1917,  and  the  National  Encyclopedia 
of  American  Biography. 

Farmer,  Dr.  J.  Leonard,  was  born  in  Williamsburg 
County,  South  Carolina,  June  12,  1885.  Prepared  for 
high  school  at  the  age  of  twelve,  but  for  certain  reasons 
gave  up  school  until  1905,  when  he  entered  Cookman  In- 
stitute, graduating  therefrom  in  1909.  Entered  Boston 
University  1909,  graduating  with  A.  B.  degree  in  1913, 
having  been  awarded  four  scholarships  of  $100.00  each. 
Entered  Boston  University  School  of  Theology  1913, 
graduating,  S.  T.  B.  in  1916,  in  the  meantime  pursuing 
studies  in  the  Graduate  School;  1916-1917  studied  in  the 
Graduate  School  of  Boston  University  and  Harvard. 
Reading  assistant  in  the  departments  of  Old  Testament 
and  philosophy  in  Boston  University  School  of  Theology. 
Candidate  for  Fellowship  for  a  year's  study  abroad,  the 
entrance  of  the  United  States  into  the  war  making  it 
impossible  for  a  Fellow  to  go  abroad  and  causing  the 
election  to  be  given  up.  Ph.  D.  (magna  cum  laude) 
Boston  University  1918,  the  subject  of  the  doctor's  dis- 
sertation being  "The  Origin  and  Development  of  the 
Messianic  Hope  in  Israel,  with  Special  Reference  to 
Analogous  Beliefs  among  other  People."  Held  charges 
at  Marshall  and  Galveston,  Texas.  Professor  of  phil- 
osophy and  economics,  Wiley,  editor  Sunday  School 
department  of  Southwestern  Christian  Advocate. 


WHO'S    WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  373 

Floyd,  Dr.  Silas  Xavier,  was  born  at  Augusta,  Ga., 
October  2,  1869.  He  received  his  preparatory  school 
training  in  the  schools  of  Augusta  and  his  A.  B.  degree 
at  Atlanta  University,  Atlanta,  Ga.,  in  1891  and  the  A.  M. 
degree  in  1894.  After  the  completion  of  his  college  course 
he  began  to  teach  and  became  the  principal  of  the  third 
ward  school  in  Augusta.  From  1893-1896  he  was  the 
principal  of  the  Mange  Street  School  and  1903-1908  was 
principal  of  the  first  ward  school  and  editor  of  the 
Augusta  "Sentinel,"  and  departmental  editor  of  "Voice 
of  Negro."  Dr.  Floyd  was  ordained  in  the  ministry 
(Baptist)  and  was  appointed  pastor  of  the  Augusta 
Tabernacle  Baptist  Church.  He  has  been  the  Vice-Presi- 
dent  and  Auditor  of  the  Georgia  Mutual  Life  and  Health 
Insurance  Co.,  Vice-President  American  Benefit  Associ- 
ation, Secretary  of  the  Negro  Fair  Association ;  Colored 
Y.  M.  C.  A. ;  advisory  member  on  the  board  of  the  Stand- 
ard Life  Insurance  Co.,  field  worker  for  the  Inter- 
national Sunday  School  Convention,  Sunday  School 
Missionary  of  the  American  Baptist  Institute.  In  ad- 
dition to  these  organizations  he  is  a  member  of  the 
American  Historical  Association,  American  Social 
Science  Association,  Secretary  of  the  National  Associ- 
ation of  Teachers  in  Colored  Schools. 

French,  Clifton  G.  A.,  was  born  at  Topeka,  Kansas. 
His  elementary  training  was  received  in  his  native  city 
and  his  high  school  training  in  the  Kansas  City  High, 
Kansas.  Upon  completion  of  his  high  school  training  he 
went  to  New  York  where  he  entered  the  College  of  the 
City  of  New  York.  He  subsequently  matriculated  in 
New  York  University  where  he  received  his  B.  S.  degree. 
He  entered  the  LawSchoolof  this  University  and  received 
the  degree  of  LL.  B.,  and  in  1912,  the  degree  of  Master 
of  Law.  At  the  completion  of  his  law  course  Mr.  French 


374  PROGRESS   OF   A   RACE. 

settled  and  began  the  practice  of  law  in  New  York  City 
as  a  partner  in  the  firm  of  French  &  French.  He  was 
a  member  of  Co.  C,  23rd  Regiment  of  the  Kansas  Volun- 
teers and  served  as  Chief  Clerk  of  General  Courts- 
Martial.  He  has  traveled  extensively  in  South  and 
Central  America  and  the  West  Indies.  Mr.  French  is 
numbered  among  the  successful  lawyers  of  his  race  and 
has  served  as  chairman  of  Election  Board  on  two  occa- 
sions in  the  city  of  New  York.  Mr.  French  married 
Minnie  M.  Walker  of  Kansas,  October  28,  1900.  Mrs. 
French  is  a  prominent  soprano  soloist  and  has  appeared 
in  concerts  in  Europe,  Africa,  South  and  Central  America 
and  the  West  Indies.  In  Madagascar  she  sang  frequently 
before  the  Prime  Minister.  Some  of  the  songs  she 
sang  in  her  concerts  were  her  own  compositions. 

Fuller,  Meta  Vaux  Wai-rick,  was  born  in  Philadel- 
phia, Pennsylvania,  June  9,  1877.  She  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Philadelphia  and  subsequently  the 
school  of  Industrial  Art  of  Philadelphia.  She  sailed  for 
Paris,  France,  in  1899  and  there  entered  the  Academic 
College  and  later  the  Academic  Colarossi.  She  spent 
three  years  in  France,  1899-1902,  and  then  entered  the 
Academy  of  Fine  Arts  in  Philadelphia.  The  products  of 
her  chisel  and  mallet  have  been  exhibited  in  the  best 
salons  in  Paris  and  other  exhibits  have  been :  Jamestown 
Exposition,  Emancipation  Exposition  in  New  York, 
1913;  Annual  Exhibits  Academy  of  Fine  Arts,  Phila- 
delphia. Private  exhibits :  Paris,  1901 ;  Woman's  Paint- 
ers and  Sculptors,  1902;  Framington,  Massachusetts, 
1914.  Her  work  has  received  flattering  commendations 
from  art  critics  in  France  and  in  the  United  States.  She 
is  a  member  of  the  Society  of  Arts  and  Crafts  of  New 
York. 

Furniss,  Dr.  Henry  Watson,  was  born  in  Brookryn, 
New  York,  February  14,  1868.  He  matriculated  at 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  375 

Howard  University  in  the  department  of  medicine  and 
graduated  in  the  spring  of  1891.  Two  years  after  his 
graduation  he  enrolled  in  the  graduate  school  of  Harvard 
and  pursued  courses  in  surgery  and  the  following  year, 
1894,  he  was  pursuing  a  similar  course  in  the  New  York 
Post  Graduate  School. 

Dr.  Furniss'  first  appointment  was  to  a  position  of  as- 
sistant surgeon  in  the  Freedman's  Hospital,  Washington, 
D.  C,  in  1894.  His  connection  with  this  hospital  term- 
inated, he  went  to  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  and  began  the 
practice  of  medicine.  In  1898  he  was  appointed  Consul 
at  Bahia,  Brazil,  and  served  until  1905,  when  he  was 
transferred  to  Haiti  as  Envoy  Extraordinary  and  Min- 
ister Plenipotentiary.  He  held  this  position  until  Septem- 
ber 1 6,  1913.  Dr.  Furniss  holds  membership  in  the  follow- 
ing organizations :  American  Medical  Association, 
American  Microscopical  Society,  American  Society  of 
International  Law,  Indiana  Medical  Society  and  Ameri- 
can Public  Health  Association. 

Furniss,  Dr.  Sunnier  Alexander,  was  born  in  Jackson, 
Mississippi,  January  30,  1874,  the  brother  of  Henry  Wat- 
son Furniss.  His  medical  training  was  received  in  the 
Indiana  Medical  College  and  the  University  of  Indiana 
Medical  School.  Unlike  other  professional  men  Dr. 
Furniss  did  not  hesitate  to  return  to  the  city  of  his 
adoption  to  engage  in  the  practice  of  his  profession.  He 
set  up  his  shingle  in  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  in  1894,  and 
has  been  practicing  there  ever  since.  He  was  one  of  those 
who  established  the  Lincoln  Hospital  in  Indianapolis.  He 
is  now  the  head  of  the  hospital.  He  holds  membership  in 
the  following  societies:  Indianapolis  Medical  Society, 
National  Medical  Association,  Indiana  State  Medical 
Society  and  American  Medical  Association.  Like  his 
brother  Dr.  Furniss  is  a  Republican.  He  was  alternate 


376  PROGRESS  OF  A  RACE. 

delegate  at  large  to  the  Republican  National  Convention 
held  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  in  1912.  He  is  a  33rd  degree 
Mason,  Odd  Fellow  and  Knights  of  Pythias. 

Gilbert,  John  Wesley,  was  born  in  Hepsibah,  Geor- 
gia, July  6,  1865.  He  received  his  early  literary  training 
in  the  public  schools  of  Atlanta,  and  later  as  a  student  in 
the  Theological  Department  of  Morehouse  College  in  At- 
lanta, Georgia.  He  severed  his  connection  with  this 
institution  to  enter  Brown  University.  While  at  Brown 
he  was  exceptionally  proficient  in  the  study  of  the  classics 
and  won  the  Brown  Athens  Scholarship.  He  accepted 
the  appointment  and  a  year  later  was  found  in  Greece 
pursuing  his  classical  studies. 

Mr.  Gilbert  has  taken  active  part  in  the  various  ex- 
cavations conducted  in  that  ancient  classical  country  in 
recognition  of  which  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
Archaeological  Institution  and  the  Philological  Associ- 
ation of  America. 

While  abroad  Mr.  Gilbert  visited  Africa  and  with  his 
assistance  the  mission  at  Wiambo,  Miami,  was  established 
by  Bishop  W.  R.  Lambuth.  Returning  to  America  he 
served  in  various  capacities  as  teacher  and  preacher  and 
is  at  present  the  commissioner  for  and  teacher  of  Greek 
in  Paine  College.  The  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was 
conferred  upon  him  by  Brown  University  while  he  was 
in  Athens. 

Green,  John  Paterson,  was  born  at  Newbern,  N.  C, 
April  2,  1845.  When  he  was  five  years  old  his  father 
died  and  his  mother,  and  two  other  children  beside  him- 
self, moved  to  Cleveland,  Ohio.  Mr.  Green  attended  the 
public  schools  of  Cleveland,  Ohio,  graduating  from 
Central  High  School  in  1869.  He  entered  the  Ohio 
Union  Law  School  and  received  his  LL.  B.  degree  in 
1870,  and  that  same  year  was  admitted  to  the  Ohio  Bar. 


1  JOHN  WESLEY  GILBERT.  3-     HON.  JOHN  P.  GREEN. 

2  SMITH  WENDELL  GREENE.  4-     WILLIAM  HARRISON. 

5      J.    H.    HARMON,    Houston,    Tex. 


378  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

Mr.  Green  went  to  South  Carolina,  and  began  the  practice 
of  law  but  returned  to  Cleveland  in  1872.  After 
ten  years  of  successful  practice  in  Cleveland,  he  was 
elected  to  the  Ohio  House  of  Representatives  1882-4,  and 
re-elected  in  1888.  He  served  out  a  two  year  term  and 
was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  Ohio  in  1890,  and  served 
until  1892,  the  only  Negro  who  has  ever  been  elected  to 
that  body. 

While  a  member  of  the  Ohio  Legislature  he  introduced 
the  Labor  Day  bill  which  was  passed  by  the  House.  For 
this  Mr.  Green  is  called  the  "Daddy  of  Labor  Day."  Con- 
gress subsequently  made  it  a  National  holiday.  While  a 
member  of  the  Senate  he  presided  over  that  body  once. 
In  recognition  of  his  services  to  the  Nation,  Wilber- 
force  University  conferred  upon  him  the  LL.  D.  degree 
in  1890,  and  Kentucky  Central  College  did  the  same  in 
1912.  Mr.  Green  was  appointed  agent  of  postage 
stamps  for  the  Postoffice  of  the  United  States  in  1898, 
and  served  until  1907.  He  was  at  one  time  acting  super- 
intendent of  finance,  serving  in  that  capacity  eighteen 
months. 

Mr.  Green  has  traveled  extensively  and  during  one  of 
his  trips  abroad  he  and  his  family  were  presented  to  Pope 
Pius  X  and  received  his  benediction.  He  has  four  chil- 
dren all  of  whom  are  grown.  Mr.  Green  is  now  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  law  in  Cleveland,  is  a  Mason,  and  the 
author  of  "Recollections  of  the  Carolinas." 

Green,  Smith  Wendell,  is  a  Louisianian  by  birth.  His 
early  life  does  not  differ  in  any  essential  from  the  life  of 
any  Negro  youth  in  this  country.  However,  unlike  many 
he  took  advantage  of  every  opportunity  which  came  his 
way  and  they  stood  him  in  good  stead  when  he  was  called 
upon  to  direct  the  destiny  of  the  Grand  Lodge  of  the  K. 
of  P.  of  the  State  of  Louisiana. 


WHO'S   WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  379 

Mr.  Green  joined  the  order  of  K.  of  P.  on  July  17, 
1883,  as  a  charter  member  of  Pride  of  Tensos  Lodge  No. 
21,  of  St.  Joseph,  La.  The  interest  which  he  manifested 
in  the  organization  commended  him  to  the  attention  of 
his  colleagues  and  as  a  reward  for  his  interest  he  was 
elected  V.  C.  of  the  lodge.  For  some  reason  or  other  he 
did  not  fill  this  post  but  served  rather  as  C.  C.  until  June 
30,  1886.  He  was  sent  to  the  Grand  Lodge  as  a  Grand 
Representative  of  his  lodge  and  the  same  zeal  and  qual- 
ities which  commended  him  to  the  local  lodge  won  for 
him  the  admiration  of  the  Grand  Lodge.  He  was  elected 
G.  M.  of  F.  in  May  1884,  to  restore  the  financial  stability 
of  the  organization.  This  position  he  filled  for  a  year. 
From  that  time  on  Mr.  Green's  rise  in  the  organization 
was  rapid.  He  was  elected  G.  K.  of  R.  and  S.  in  1886, 
G.  C.  in  1892  and  served  five  years.  He  was  re-elected 
to  that  position  in  1899  to  find  the  treasury  of  the  organ- 
ization depleted  and  a  deficit  of  over  $3,000  overhanging 
it.  Under  his  direction  the  order  took  on  new  life;  the 
membership  increased  to  9,000 ;  a  new  temple  was  erected 
in  New  Orleans,  La.,  at  a  cost  of  approximately  $200,000 
and  the  finances  of  the  organization  increased  to  $100,- 
ooo.  His  capacity  and  ability  to  do  big  things  were  rec- 
ognized by  the  Supreme  Lodge  and  in  1905  he  was 
elected  Vice  Chancellor,  and  ex-officio  Supreme  Worthy 
Chancellor.  He  was  re-elected  in  1907  and  the  follow- 
ing year  was  elected  Supreme  Chancellor. 

Greener,  Richard  Theodore,  was  born  at  Philadel- 
phia, Penn.,  January  30,  1844.  His  preparatory  edu- 
cation was  received  at  Andover  Academy  and  Oberlin 
College,  Ohio.  He  entered  Harvard  and  graduated  in 
1870,  the  first  Negro  to  graduate  from  that  institution. 
He  was  professor  of  Mathematics  and  Logic  in  the 
University  of  South  Carolina  from  1873-1877.  He  was 


380  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

admitted  to  the  South  Carolina  Bar  in  1876  and  that  of 
the  District  of  Columbia  in  1877.  For  five  years  1877-82 
he  was  dean  of  the  Law  School  of  Howard  University 
and  law  clerk  to  the  first  comptroller  of  United  States 
Treasury.  .In  1882  a  precedent  was  established  thru  his 
effort  in  a  case  in  which  West  Point  was  involved  by 
obtaining  a  court  martial  trial  of  a  cadet.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  Supreme  Court  in  1907  and  subsequently 
moved  to  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Mr.  Greener  has  had  a  remarkable  political  career. 
From  1885-90  he  was  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Exam- 
iners in  the  New  York  Municipal  Civil  Service ;  was 
American  Consul  to  Bombay,  India,  in  1898  and  in  Vladi- 
vostok, Siberia,  Russia,  until  1906.  For  his  service  to  the 
Chinese  during  the  Boxer  War  and  for  material  as- 
sistance given  the  sufferers  during  the  Shansi  famine  the 
Chinese  Imperial  government  in  1902  decorated  him  with 
the  order  of  Double  Dragon.  During  the  Russo-Japanese 
war  he  was  in  charge  of  Japanese  and  British  interests  in 
Russia.  In  recognition  of  his  achievements  the  following 
institutions  of  learning  have  conferred  upon  him  these 
honors :  Monrovia  College,  Liberia,  the  LL.  D.  degree 
in  1882  and  the  same  degree  by  Howard  University, 
Washington,  D.  C,  in  1898. 

Dr.  Greener  belongs  to  the  following  organizations: 
The  Society  for  the  Exploration  of  the  Amoor,  Narra- 
gansett  Riverside,  Reform  and  Commonwealth  Clubs, 
the  Anthropological  Society  and  the  Iroquois  Club. 

Grimke,  Archibald  Henry,  was  born  August  17,  1849, 
near  Charleston,  S.  C.  Mr.  Grimke  received  his  prelim- 
inary training  at  Lincoln  University,  Penn.,  where  the 
A.  B.  degree  was  conferred  upon  him  in  the  spring  of 
1870  and  M.  A.  degree  two  years  later.  He  entered  the 
Harvard  Law  School  subsequently  and  received  the 
LL.  B.  in  1874. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  381 

After  his  graduation  Mr.  Grimke  entered  the  field  of 
journalism  in  Boston  and  edited  a  weekly  paper  called 
the  "Hub."  He  was  engaged  as  a  special  writer  for  the 
Boston  Traveler  and  the  Boston  Herald.  For  the  next 
ten  years  (1884-94)  he  was  secretary  of  the  board  of 
trustees  of  the  Westboro  Insane  Hospital.  He  resigned 
this  position  to  accept  the  appointment  as  U.  S.  Consul 
to  Santo  Domingo,  Dominican  Republic.  He  served  in 
that  capacity  from  1894-8.  Mr.  Grimke  has  written 
numerous  pamphlets  and  books  all  of  which  have  re- 
ceived favorable  comment  from  literary  critics.  Among 
these  works  are:  "Life  of  William  Lloyd  Garrison," 
which  appeared  in  1891,  "Life  of  Charles  Sumner," 
which  appeared  a  year  later,  "Rights  on  the  Scaffold  or 
the  Martyrs  of  1822,"  "The  Negro  and  Elective  Fran- 
chise Symposium,"  and  other  articles  of  an  anti-slavery 
nature  contributed  to  magazines. 

Mr.  Grimke  is  president  of  the  National  Association 
for  the  Advancement  of  Colored  People  and  also  holds 
membership  in  the  Authors'  Club  of  London,  England, 
the  Authors'  League  of  America,  American  Social 
Science  Association,  Frederick  Douglass  Memorial  and 
Historical  Association.  In  this  last  he  has  been  president 
for  a  number  of  years- 
Hare,  Maude  Cuney,  was  born  at  Galveston,  Texas, 
February  6,  1879.  She  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Galveston  and  at  the  completion  of  the  High  School 
course  entered  the  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music, 
Boston,  Mass.  She  supplemented  her  literary  training  by 
pursuing  courses  at  Lowell  Institute.  She  placed  herself 
under  the  private  instruction  of  Liszt,  Edmund  Ludwig, 
of  the  Imperial  Russian  Institute  for  Noble  Ladies  and 
Edwin  Klahre. 

Mrs.  Hare  began  her  career  as  teacher  of  music  in  the 


382  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Texas  Deaf,  Dumb  and  Blind  Institute  for  Colored 
Youths  at  Austin,  Texas.  A  year  later  she  was  piano 
teacher  at  Institution  Church,  Chicago,  111.,  and  in  1903-4 
music  teacher  in  the  State  Normal  and  Industrial  College, 
Prairie  View,  Texas.  Since  1904  she  has  devoted  herself 
to  the  private  teaching  of  music  and  as  a  concert  soloist. 

Mrs.  Hare  is  the  author  of  the  biography  of  "Norris 
Wright  Cuney,"  her  father,  which  appeared  in  1913,  and 
editor  of  the  Music  and  Art  Column  for  the  "Crisis." 

Harris,  George  Westly,  was  born  at  Topeka,  Kansas, 
August  i,  1884.  He  received  his  public  school  training 
at  Topeka  and  later  entered  the  preparatory  department 
of  Tufts  College,  Medford,  Mass.  From  Tufts  he 
matriculated  at  Harvard  and  graduated  with  the  A.  B. 
degree  in  1907.  He  spent  the  year  1907-8  in  the  Law 
School  pursuing  courses  in  law.  He  abandoned  the  legal 
training  to  enter  journalism,  first  as  a  newspaper  corres- 
pondent and  later  as  associate  editor  of  the  New  York 
Age,  a  Negro  weekly. 

Mr.  Harris'  next  move  in  the  field  of  journalism  was 
to  become  the  editor  of  the  Amsterdam  News,  of  New 
York  City,  another  Negro  weekly.  Severing  his  con- 
nection with  this  weekly  he  began  the  publication  of  a 
weekly  paper  called  the  New  York  "News"  of  which  he 
is  editor.  The  "News"  maintains  a  Charity  Bureau 
which  helps  materially  to  alleviate  the  suffering  of  the 
poor  of  that  city. 

In  politics  Mr.  Harris  is  a  Republican  and  in  the  elec- 
tion of  1919  was  elected  to  the  State  Assembly. 

Harrison,  William,  was  born  on  a  farm  in  Clay 
county,  Mississippi,  in  1874.  His  first  step  was  to  seek 
to  prepare  himself  for  the  life  which  he  had  mapped  out 
for  himself ;  and  so,  when  things  were  quiet  on  the  farm 
he  went  to  the  city  and  enrolled  in  the  public  school.  He 


WHO'S    WHO   IN   THE    NEGRO    RACE.  383 

soon  recognized  the  inadequacy  of  such  a  program  and 
after  some  deliberation  he  decided  to  abandon  his  farm 
activities  altogether  and  devote  himself  to  his  preparation 
for  the  study  of  law. 

He  entered  Roger  Williams  University,  Nashville, 
Tennessee,  where  he  pursued  the  preparatory  course,  and 
later  the  University  of  Chicago  where  he  pursued  his 
college  course.  He  returned  to  Nashville,  after  leaving 
Chicago,  and  entered  Walden  University  Law  School. 
At  the  completion  of  his  law  course  he  went  to  Okla- 
homa, took  the  state  bar  examination,  and  was  admitted 
to  practice  before  the  bar  in  1902.  From  that  day  Mr. 
Harrison's  course  has  been  steadily  upward.  He  gained 
admittance  to  practice  first  in  Federal  Court  and  then  in 
the  United  States  Supreme  Court. 

At  one  time  he  presided  as  a  special  judge  of  the. 
Superior  court  in  a  case  in  which  white  lawyers  were  in- 
volved. He  holds  membership  in  the  Chamber  of  Com- 
merce, of  Oklahoma  City,  in  the  Knights  of  Pythias 
(Past  Grand  Chancellor),  president  People's  Protective 
Circle  and  president  of  the  Negro  Civic  League. 

v  Hathaway,  Isaac  Scott,  was  born  in  Lexington,  Ken- 
tucky, April  4,  1874.  He  received  his  literary  training  in 
the  Chandler  Normal  School,  Lexington,  Kentucky,  from 
which  institution  he  graduated  in  1891.  Having  mapped 
out  for  himself  a  sculptor's  career  he  began  the  study  of 
the  Arts  in  the  New  England  Conservatory  of  Music, 
Boston,  Mass.,  in  1894.  He  subsequently  entered  the 
Cincinnati  Art  Academy  and  studied  there  for  a  year 
(1898-9). 

Mr.  Hathaway  spent  some  time  as  a  school  teacher  but 
since  1898  he  has  devoted  himself  to  sculpturing  and  as  a 
dealer  in  art.  He  has  made  a  number  of  models  and 
busts  among  them  the  miniature  of  Transylvania  Univer- 


384  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

sity  of  Lexington,  Kentucky,  which  was  exhibited  at  the 
Louisiana  Purchase  Exposition,  St.  Louis,  Mo.,  in  1904, 
and  the  busts,  life  and  death  masks  of  such  men  as  W. 
E.  B.  DuBois,  C.  M.  Clay,  Paul  Lawrence  Dunbar,  Kelly 
Miller,  Booker  T.  Washington,  Frederick  Douglass, 
Bishop  Richard  Allen,  etc.  He  assisted  Dr.  Allen  to 
arrange  the  government  exhibit  at  the  U.  S.  National 
Museum  at  the  Panama  Pacific  Exposition  in  1915.  Some 
of  his  works  have  been  purchased  by  the  Smithsonian 
Institute,  Washington,  D.  C.,  Wards  Museum  in 
Rochester,  N.  Y.,  and  the  Field  Museum  of  National 
History,  Chicago,  Illinois. 

Hawkins,  Mason  Albert,  was  born  at  Charlotteville, 
Virginia,  October  21,  1874.  He  received  his  preparatory 
schooling  in  Morgan  College,  Baltimore,  Md.,  and  his 
literary  course  at  Harvard  where  he  received  his  A.  B. 
degree  in  1901,  matriculating  in  the  Post  Graduate 
School  of  Columbia  University,  New  York  City.  He  re- 
ceived his  Master  of  Arts  degree  in  1901. 

Mr.  Hawkins  began  life  as  a  teacher  of  German  and 
Latin  in  the  Colored  High  School  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  in 
1901.  Five  years  later  he  was  promoted  to  the  head  of 
the  modern  language  department  and  in  1909,  vice- 
principal  and  principal  respectively. 

Principal  Hawkins  takes  a  live  interest  in  the  civic 
life  of  Baltimore.  He  is  president  of  the  Maryland 
Colored  Public  Health  Association ;  treasurer  of  the 
Maryland  Colored  Blind  Association ;  a  member  of  the 
Board  of  Provident  Hospital,  member  of  the  commission 
on  Preparedness  and  Defense  for  the  Colored  People 
of  Maryland.  He  holds  membership  in  the  following 
societies :  The  American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social 
Sciences,  Fellow  of  the  American  Geographical  Society. 
He  is  also  a  contributor  to  a  number  of  magazines  among 


WHO^S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  385 

them:     "Education,"  "Vocational  Education,"  "Crisis." 

Hawkins,  Walter  Everette,  was  born  at  Warrenton, 
North  Carolina,  November  17,  1883,  the  son  of  Ossian 
and  Christiana  Hawkins.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Warrenton  and  entered  Kittrell  College  in 
North  Carolina,  graduating  from  this  institution  in  1901. 

Mr.  Hawkins  is  a  verse  writer  whose  works  have  been 
published  in  this  country  as  well  as  in  London,  England. 
His  "Chords  and  Discords,"  was  published  by  Murry 
Brothers,  Washington,  D.  C.,  in  1909,  and  other  of  his 
works,  viz,  "Too  Much  Religion,"  "The  Black  Soldiers," 
"Where  Air  of  Freedom  Is,"  "Love's  Unchangeableness," 
etc.,  have  appeared  in  the  African  Times  and  Oriental 
Review  of  London. 

Since  1912  Mr.  Hawkins  has  been  connected  with  the 
railway  mail  service.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Negro 
Society  for  Historical  Research. 

Hawkins,  William  Ashlie,  was  born  at  Lynchburg, 
Virginia,  August  2,  1862.  He  received  his  literary  train- 
ing at  Morgan  College,  Baltimore,  Maryland,  and  gradu- 
ated in  1 88 1.  He  entered  the  Law  School  of  Howard 
University,  Washington,  D.  C.,  and  graduated  in  1892. 
He  was  admitted  to  the  Maryland  Bar  in  1892  and 
entered  into  the  practice  of  law.  As  a  lawyer  he  has 
successfully  represented  the  cause  of  the  Negro  before 
the  courts  of  justice  of  Maryland. 

In  church  connection  he  is  Methodist  Episcopal  and 
has  been  twice  elected  a  delegate  to  the  General  Con- 
ference. He  holds  membership  in  the  following  organ- 
izations :  Sigma  Pi  Phi ;  the  N.  A.  A.  C.  P.,  National  In- 
dependent Political  League,  Gamma  Boule,  33rd  degree 
Mason,  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  is  the  author  of  a  num- 
ber of  pamphlets  among  them,  "The  Negro  in  Court." 

Hayes,   Lemuel,  theologian,  born  July  18,  1753.    He 

25 


"H6  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

received  his  honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  from 
Middleberry  College  in  1804.  His  sermons  which  were 
published  and  which  passed  through  nine  or  ten  editions, 
were  taken  from  Genesis  Three  and  Four.  Mr.  Hayes 
was  the  most  popular  preacher  in  the  state  of  Vermont 
during  that  period. 

Hayes,  Dr.  George  Edmund,  was  born  at  Pine  Bluff. 
Arkansas,  May  II,  1880.  His  preparatory  training  was 
received  in  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College, 
Normal,  Alabama.  He  matriculated  at  Fisk  University, 
Nashville,  Tennessee,  and  received  his  A.  B.  in  1903. 
He  attended  the  summer  sessions  of  Chicago  University 
and  Columbia  University,  New  York,  receiving  the  Ph.  D. 
degree  from  the  latter  in  1912.  He  finished  the  course 
offered  by  the  New  York  School  of  Philanthropy  in  1910 
and  received  an  appointment  to  the  chair  of  social  science 
at  Fisk  University,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

Before  his  appointment  on  the  faculty  of  Fisk  he  was 
for  three  years  the  traveling  secretary  of  the  Inter- 
national Y.  M.  C.  A.  Dr.  Hayes  is  associated  with  the 
National  League  on  Urban  Conditions  Among  Negroes 
in  an  executive  capacity.  During  the  World  War  the 
Department  of  Labor  of  our  National  Government 
borrowed  Dr.  Hayes  from  Fisk  and  gave  him  charge 
of  a  specially  created  department  known  as  the  Depart- 
ment of  Negro  Economics.  As  the  director  of  this  de- 
partment he  had  to  husband  the  resources  of  the  people 
of  color  and  to  make  them  more  conscious  of  the  con- 
sequences of  economic  wastefulness  and  to  formulate 
definite  plans  for  their  economic  betterments. 

Dr.  Hayes  holds  membership  in  the  following  organ- 
izations: National  Geographical  Society,  American 
Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science,  American 
Economic  Association.  He  is  the  author  of  "The  Negro 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  38T 

at  Work  in  New  York  City,"  and  a  number  of  articles 
contributed  to  periodicals  of  a  more  or  less  scientific 
nature. 

Hope,  John,  was  born  in  Augusta,  Georgia,  June  16. 
1868.  He  received  his  early  education  in  the  public 
schools  and  in  Worcester  Academy.  He  occupied  prom- 
inent positions  in  the  student  activities  of  the  Academy, 
serving  as  editor-in-chief  of  the  Academy  Monthly  and 
the  commencement  speaker  and  historian  of  his  class. 
He  received  his  B.  A.  degree  in  1894.  He  was  the  orator 
of  his  class,  a  distinction  which  was  conferred  upon  him 
by  his  white  colleagues. 

In  the  fall  of  1894  Mr.  Hope  became  connected  with 
Roger  Williams  University  of  Nashville,  Tennessee,  as 
teacher  and  four  years  later  was  sent  to  Atlanta  Baptist 
College,  and  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of  that  insti- 
tution upon  the  resignation  of  the  president.  The  degree 
of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Brown 
University  in  1907.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of 
Managers  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  Atlanta ;  member  of  the 
Advisory  Board  of  the  N.  A.  A.  C.  P. ;  member  of  the 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Urban  League  of  New 
York;  was  president  of  the  National  Association  of 
Teachers  in  Colored  Schools ;  member  of  the  Anti-Tuber- 
culosis Association  of  Atlanta ;  member  of  the  Committee 
of  the  Spingarn  Medal  and  has  served  in  an  advisory 
capacity  on  boards  of  the  State  Baptist  Convention. 

President  Hope  was  appointed  special  secretary  by  the 
Y.  M.  C.  A.  to  do  active  work  among  Negro  soldiers  in 
France  during  the  war.  His  relation  with  that  organ- 
ization continued  even  after  the  war  was  brought  to  a 
successful  termination.  He  resumed  his  duties  as  the 
head  of  Morehouse  College  in  the  fall  of  1919. 

Howard,  Perry  W.,  was  born  in  Obenezer.  Holmes 


1.  HENRY  CLAUDE  HUDSON. 

2.  WILLIAM  II.  LEWIS. 


3.  JOHN  HOPE. 

4.  MASON  ALBERT  HAWKINS. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  389 

county,  Mississippi,  June  14,  1878.  In  1891  he  entered 
Alcorn  A.  &  M.  College.  Two  years  later  he  matriculated 
at  Rust  University,  Holly  Springs,  Mississippi,  and  in 
1899  graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  In 
the  fall  of  1899  Mr.  Howard  was  appointed  president  of 
Campbell  College,  Jackson,  Miss.  He  served  for  a 
year  after  which  he  was  called  by  Alcorn  A.  &  M. 
College  to  fill  the  chair  of  mathematics.  During  his  in- 
cumbency at  Alcorn  he  studied  law  and  pursued  summer 
courses  in  the  Illinois  College  of  Law,  Chicago,  Illinois. 
In  1905  he  was  awarded  the  LL.  B.  degree  by  this  in- 
stitution and  he  entered  immediately  into  practice  of  law. 

The  honorary  degree  of  Master  of  Arts  was  conferred 
upon  him  by  the  faculty  of  Campbell  College. 

Hudson,  Dr.  Henry  Claude,  was  born  in  Morksville, 
Avoyles  Parish,  Louisiana,  on  April  19,  1886.  His  early 
school  preparation  was  received  in  the  Eighth  District 
Academy  of  Alexandria,  La.,  where  his  parents  had 
moved.  From  there  he  went  to  Wiley  University,  Mar- 
shall, Texas,  and  while  there  directed  the  building  of  the 
Carnegie  Library  and  Coe  Hall,  the  young  men's  dormi- 
tory. It  may  be  mentioned  here  that  Dr.  Hudson  ac- 
quired skill  as  a  brickmason  in  Alexandria,  La. 

After  completing  his  preparation  at  Wiley  Dr.  Hudson 
entered  Howard  University  Dental  School  and  graduated 
in  the  spring  of  1913.  He  returned  to  Louisiana  upon  his 
graduation  and  began  to  practice  his  profession  in 
Shreveport.  Dr.  Hudson  has  succeeded  remarkably  in 
his  profession  and  is  regarded  as  one  of  the  leading  men 
of  his  profession. 

Jackson,  Major  Robert  R.,  was  born  in  Malta,  Illi- 
nois, September  i,  1870.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Chicago  graduating  from  the  high  school  in  1885. 

Major  Jackson  began  as  a  clerk  in  the  Chicago  post- 


PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

office,  continuing  until  he  was  promoted  to  the  position 
of  assistant  superintendent  of  the  Armour  Station.  He 
resigned  this  position  in  1909  to  enter  in  the  publishing 
and  printing  business.  He  became  identified  with  a  num- 
ber of  business  projects,  among  them  the  African  Union, 
of  which  he  was  director  and  auditor ;  Fraternal  Globe 
Bonding  Company ;  secretary  of  the  Chicago  Giants  Base- 
ball Club;  Mt.  Glenwood  Cemetery  Association.  He 
joined  the  Illinois  National  Guard  and  was  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  major.  He  served  in  the  Spanish-American 
War  and  on  the  Mexican  border  with  distinction.  He 
helped  to  train  a  number  of  men  for  the  American  Ex- 
peditionary Forces  during  the  World  War. 

In  politics  Major  Jackson  is  a  Republican.  He  has 
been  elected  to  the  Illinois  General  Assembly  for  three 
consecutive  terms.  He  was  sponsor  for  the  bill  which 
stopped  the  production  of  the  "Birth  of  a  Nation"  in 
Illinois  and  the  appropriation  bill  to  commemorate  the 
Half  Century  Anniversary  Exposition  held  in  Chicago 
in  1915. 

Major  Jackson  is  a  member  of  the  following  organiza- 
tions :  National  Association  of  Postoffice  Clerks,  Mason, 
Odd  Fellow,  United  Brotherhood  of  Friendship,  Knights 
of  Pythias,  Musicians  Union  of  the  World  and  Appo- 
mattox  Club. 

Johnson,  Fenton,  was  born  in  Chicago,  Illinois,  May 
7,  1888.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of  Chicago  and 
Northwestern  and  Chicago  Universities. 

Mr.  Johnson  began  life  as  a  teacher  of  English  in  the 
State  University  of  Louisville,  Ky.  He  abandoned  the 
class  room  to  enter  the  field  of  journalism.  He  is  a  con- 
tributor to  a  number  of  periodicals,  and  the  author  of 
"Vision  of  the  Dusk,"  "A  Little  Dream,"  poems  which 
appeared  in  1913  and  "Mrs.  Josephine  Turck  Baker." 
He  is  the  editor  of  the  "Correct  English"  Magazine. 


JAMES    WELDON    JOHNSON,    FIELD    SECRETARY,    NATIONAL    ASSOCIATION 
FOR   THE  ADVANCEMENT   OF   COLORED   PEOPLE,   NEW   YORK   CITY. 


!9!)2  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Johnson,  Henry  Lincoln,  was  born  in  Augusta,  Geor- 
gia, the  son  of  Peter  and  Martha  Johnson.  He  graduated 
from  Atlanta  University  with  the  A.  B.  degree  and 
entered  the  law  department  of  the  University  of  Mich- 
igan, graduating  three  years  later. 

Mr.  Johnson  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  Georgia  and 
began  the  practice  of  law  in  Jackson,  Ga.  In  1909  he 
was  appointed  recorder  of  deeds,  Washington,  D.  C. 
Since  retirement  from  the  Washington  office  he  has  been 
practicing  law  in  Atlanta,  Georgia. 

Johnson,  J.  Rosamond,  was  born  in  Jacksonville, 
Florida,  in  1873,  and  studied  at  the  New  England  Con- 
servatory of  Music,  subsequently  becoming  one  of  the 
leading  musicians  of  his  country.  He  developed  a  new 
style  of  Negro  music  which  became  very  popular.  Among 
some  of  his  most  popular  numbers  are : 

"I  Sold  My  Love  to  the  Roses,"  "The  Congo  Love 
Song,"  "Morning  Noon  and  Night,"  "Under  the  Bamboo 
Tree."  He  has  also  written  light  operas  for  Klaw  and 
Erlanger,  theatrical  manager,  as  well  as  May  Erwin, 
Lillian  Russell,  Anna  Held  and  several  others.  He  is 
the  composer  of  the  selection  entitled  "Come  Over  Here." 
This  was  written  while  he  was  director  of  music  at  a 
London  opera  house,  England.  Mr.  Johnson  was  com- 
missioned during  the  World-War  as  first  lieutenant  in 
the  American  National  Army ;  and  was  the  director  of  the 
Ninety-second  Division  band. 

Johnson,  Jas.  Weldon,  was  born  in  Jacksonville, 
Florida,  June  17,  1871.  He  received  his  A.  B.  degree  at 
Atlanta  University  in  1894;  and  his  A.  M.  in  1904.  In 
1894  he  was  appointed  the  principal  of  the  Colored  High 
School  in  Jacksonville  and  served  in  that  capacity  for 
seven  years.  He  was  subsequently  admitted  to  the 
Florida  Bar ;  and  in  the  spring  of  1901  he  moved  to  New 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO   RACE.  393 

York.  He  formed  an  association  with  his  brother,  pro- 
ducing a  number  of  light  operas  for  the  New  York  stage. 
He  is  the  author  of  "In  Newport,"  "Humpty-Dumpty" 
and  has  also  written  the  words  for  a  number  of  classical 
and  popular  songs.  He  is  the  contributing  editor  to  the 
New  York  Age;  and  in  1916  won  the  second  prize  in  an 
editorial  contest  held  by  the  "Philadelphia  Public 
Ledger."  President  Roosevelt  appointed  him  United 
States  Consul  to  Puerto-Cabello,  Venezuela.  He  served 
there  until  1909,  when  he  was  transferred  to  Corinto, 
Nicaragua. 

From  1912  to  1913  he  served  as  United  States  Consul 
to  the  Azores  and  at  the  assumption  of  authority  by 
President  Wilson  in  1913,  he  resigned.  Mr.  Johnson  is 
the  national  organizer  for  the  National  Association  for 
the  Advancement  of  Colored  People  and  in  his  spare 
time  he  contributes  poems  to  the  Independent,  Century. 
The  American  Magazine  and  other  periodicals. 

Jones,  Eugene  Kinckle,  was  born  in  Richmond,  Va., 
July  30,  1885.  He  attended  Wayland  Academy,  of  Vir- 
ginia Union  University  and  at  the  completion  of  the 
course  matriculated  in  Virginia  Union  University,  where 
he  received  his  A.  B.  degree  in  1906.  He  enrolled  in  the 
graduate  school  of  Cornell  University,  New  York,  and 
received  his  M.  A.  degree  in  1908. 

Since  1911  he  has  been  identified  with  the  National 
League  of  Urban  Conditions  among  Negroes,  first  as  as- 
sistant director  and  now  its  National  Executive  Secretary. 
Under  his  supervision  the  organization  has  so  developed 
that  it  has  branches  in  practically  all  large  industrial 
centers  of  the  North  and  Middle  West.  He  has  con- 
tributed a  number  of  articles  of  a  social  nature  to  maga- 
zines. 

Mr.  Jones  belongs  to  the  following  societies :  Alpha  Phi 


•')'04  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

Alpha.  Southern  Beneficial  League,  and  is  a  member  of 
the  managing  committee  of  the  Sojourner  Truth  Mouse 
for  Delinquent  Colored  Girls. 

Jones,  Dr.  Robert  Elijah,  was  born  at  Greensboro, 
N.  C,  on  February  19,  1872,  the  son  of  Sydney  Dallas 
and  Mary  Jane  Jones.  Unlike  most  men,  Dr.  Jones  re- 
ceived his  literary  preparation  in  the  city  of  his  birth.  He 
not  only  attended  the  public  schools  but  matriculated  and 
received  his  A.  B.  degree  from  Bennet  College,  in  Greens- 
boro, N.  C.  Three  years  later,  1898,  that  institution  con- 
ferred on  him  the  M.  A.  degree. 

After  the  completion  of  his  course  at  Bennet  College, 
Dr.  Jones  entered  Gammon  Theological  Seminary,  At- 
lanta, Ga.,  and  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divin- 
ity. He  began  his  career  as  a  local  preacher  at  Leaks- 
burgh,  N.  C.,  in  1891,  was  ordained  in  the  M.  E.  ministry 
in  1892,  and  appointed  pastor  at  Reidsville,  N.  C.,  and 
in  1896  he  was  made  Elder. 

Dr.  Jones'  connection  with  the  Southwestern  Christian 
Advocate  began  in  1897,  when  he  was  appointed  assistant 
manager.  He  served  in  that  capacity  until  1901,  when 
he  was  appointed  field  secretary  of  the  Board  of  Sunday 
Schools  of  the  M.  E.  church.  He  held  his  position  until 
1904  and  was  again  returned  to  the  Southwestern  Chris- 
tian Advocate  but  this  time  as  its  editor  and  has  held  this 
position  up  to  the  date  of  writing.  In  addition  to  his 
literary  activities  he  finds  time  to  devote  to  other  phases 
of  society,  for  example,  he  is  vice-president  of  the  Board 
of  Trustees  of  Bennet  College ;  trustee  of  Gammon  Theo- 
logical Seminary;  president  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of  New 
Orleans;  president  of  the  Travelers'  Protective  Associ- 
ation ;  first  vice-president  of  the  National  Negro  Press 
Association ;  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the 
National  Negro  Business  League.  In  recognition  of  his 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  395 

distinguished  service  in  his  chosen  field,  Howard  Univer- 
sity, Washington,  D.  C,  saw  fit  to  confer  upon  him  the 
degree  of  LL.  D.  Dr.  Jones  is  a  forceful  speaker  and  is 
constantly  in  demand  to  address  audiences  in  his  state  as 
well  as  elsewhere.  Extract  from  a  commencement 
address  delivered  to  Tuskegee  Institute,  Ala.,  was  pub- 
lished by  Mrs.  Alice  Dunbar  Nelson  in  her  book  entitled, 
"Masterpieces  of  Negro  Eloquence." 

Jones,  Judge  Scipio  A.,  is  an  Arkansan  by  birth.  He 
went  to  school  in  Arkansas  and  subsequently  took  up  the 
study  of  law.  On  June  15,  1889,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
Pulaski  Circuit  Bar,  and  immediately  took  up  the  practice 
of  law.  Six  years  after  he  was  called  to  the  bar  he  was 
appointed  National  Attorney  General  for  the  Mosaic 
Templars  by  J.  E.  Bush,  president  and  founder  of  the 
organization.  On  November  26,  1900,  Judge  Jones  was 
admitted  to  the  Supreme  Court  of  Arkansas,  to  the  Dis- 
trict Court  for  the  Western  Division  of  the  Eastern 
District  of  Arkansas,  and  on  October  30,  1901,  to  the  U. 
S.  Circuit  Court  of  Arkansas.  Four  years  later  he  was 
admitted  to  practice  before  the  U.  S.  Supreme  Court. 
Because  of  his  ability  as  a  lawyer  he  was  elected  to  the 
office  of  Special  Judge  in  the  Municipal  Court  of  the  City 
of  Little  Rock,  April  8,  1915.  Judge  Jones  is  one  of  the 
strongest  organization  men  in  his  state.  In  addition  to 
his  connection  with  the  Mosaic  Templars,  he  is  identified 
with  a  number  of  fraternal  organizations. 

Just,  Ernest  Everett,  was  born  in  Charleston,  S.  C., 
in  1884.  He  received  his  A.  B.  degree  at  Dartmouth. 
He  was  elected  member  of  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Fratern- 
ity, an  honor  organization  for  distinctive  scholarship. 

On  leaving  school  Dr.  Just  entered  vigorously  into  the 
field  of  research  in  biology  and  physiology.  In  1909  he 
was  called  to  fill  a  chair  in  the  department  of  science  of 


396  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Howard  University,  Washington,  D.  C.  His  research 
won  for  him  national  recognition  as  an  eminent  scientist. 
Dr.  Just  is  both  a  student  and  teacher.  The  moments 
which  he  does  not  spend  in  the  actual  work  of  the  class 
room  he  spends  in  research. 

In  recognition  of  his  achievements  he  was  awarded  a 
Ph.  D.  degree  and  the  Spingarn  medal,  the  presentation 
having  been  made  by  Governor  Charles  S.  Whitman  of 
New  York  City.  Dr.  Just  contributed  a  number  of 
articles  to  our  best  periodicals,  every  one  of  which  have 
received  flattering  comments. 

Kemp,  William  Paul,  was  born  at  Plattsmouth, 
Nebraska,  March  13,  1891.  He  entered  the  school  of 
music  of  the  University  of  Nebraska  where  he  pursued 
courses  in  music  and  harmony. 

Mr.  Kemp  entered  the  field  of  journalism  while  yet  in 
his  teens  as  the  assistant  capital  correspondent  of  the 
Omaha  Bee,  a  daily  paper.  In  1899,  he  established  the 
"Lincoln  Leader,"  but  gave  it  up  to  become  the  assistant 
Washington  correspondent  of  the  Nebraska  State  Journal. 
He  returned  to  Lincoln  in  1900  and  resumed  the  publi- 
cation of  the  "Lincoln  Leader."  He  was  literary  manager 
of  the  Nebraska  Republican  State  Central  Committee  in 
1904.  On  October  8,  1907,  he  moved  to  Detroit,  Mich- 
igan, and  two  months  later  established  the  Detroit 
Leader.  In  this  journalistic  venture  he  was  not  successful 
and  had  to  abandon  the  project  two  months  later.  He 
secured  a  position  as  clerk  in  the  mayor's  office  and  began 
anew  the  publication  of  the  Detroit  Leader  which  he  has 
operated  successfully  ever  since.  He  purchased  the  Owl 
Printing  Co.  and  consolidated  it  with  the  Howitt  Print- 
ing Co.,  all  of  which  is  operated  in  connection  with  the 
"Leader." 

Mr.  Kemp  is  identified  with  a  number  of  organizations, 


1.  WILLIAM  PAUL  KEMP.  '3.     GEORGE   I,.    KNOX,    Editor    "The 

2.  W.    C.    JASON,    President    State  Freeman." 

College,  Dover,  Del.  4.     MAJOR   ROBERT   R.   JACKSON. 

5.     JOHN   A.  KENNEY,  M.D. 


398  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

political  as  well  as  social.  He  is  a  member  of  the  Detroit 
Urban  League,  the  N.  A.  A.  C.  P.,  president  of  the  Sol- 
dier's Welfare  League  as  well  as  the  District  Business 
League;  Republican  League  Club  and  Abraham  Lincoln 
Political  Club ;  Publishers'  Protective  Association ;  and 
Detroit  Association  of  Allied  Printers.  He  is  a  Mason, 
Knights  of  Pythias,  Elk  and  True  Reformer. 

Kenney,  Dr.  John  Andrew,  was  born  in  Albemarle 
county,  Va.,  on  June  n,  1874.  He  entered  Hampton  In- 
stitute, Va.  From  Hampton  he  went  to  Shaw  University, 
North  Carolina,  where  he  received  his  preparation  for 
medicine.  At  the  completion  of  his  preparatory  studies 
he  entered  Leonard  Medical  College  and  received  his  M. 
D.  degree  in  1901. 

Dr.  Kenney  received  an  Internship  at  the  Freedmen's 
Hospital,  Washington,  D.  C.,  (1901-1902)  at  the  end  of 
which  he  was  appointed  resident  physician  at  Tuskegee 
Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  Ala.  He  organized  the 
nurse  training  course  in  that  institution  and  during  his 
regime  the  John  A.  Andrew  Memorial  Hospital  has 
been  built,  an  institution  of  which  he  is  director.  Dr. 
Kenney  was  personal  physician  to  the  late  Booker  T. 
Washington,  has  served  eight  years  as  secretary  of  the 
National  Medical  Association,  and  in  1912  was  unan- 
imously elected  its  president. 

Laney,  Miss  Lucy  C.,  is  one  of  the  remarkable  women 
of  the  Negro  race.  Graduating  from  Atlanta  University 
she  immediately  entered  into  the  teaching  profession  and 
taught  school  in  the  state  of  Georgia  for  a  number  of 
years. 

She  resigned  her  position  as  teacher  in  1886  and  em- 
barked on  a  plan  for  the  establishment  of  a  school  for  the 
training  of  young  men  and  women  of  her  race  in  the 
useful  and  cultural  arts. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  399 

In  time  Miss  Laney  saw  her  dreams  materialize. 
Buildings  made  their  appearance  here  and  there  on  the 
campus  and  a  capacity  student  body  pursuing  courses  of 
study  to  fit  them  for  the  political,  economic  and  social 
activities  of  life.  The  history  of  Hines  Normal  School 
is  the  history  of  Miss  Laney's  unselfish  life  and  as  prin- 
cipal of  the  institution,  she  has  conducted  the  school  so 
efficiently  that  she  has  received  favorable  compliments 
from  such  men  as  Ex-President  William  H.  Taft. 

Lankford,  John  Anderson,  was  born  at  Potosi,  Mis- 
souri, December  4,  1874.  He  attended  the  public  schools 
of  Potosi  and  later  entered  Lincoln  Institute,  Jefferson, 
Mo.  He  left  Lincoln  Institute  and  matriculated  at  Tus- 
kegee  Normal  and  Industrial  Institute,  Normal,  Alabama, 
and  subsequently  the  Architectural  College  at  Scranton, 
Penn.  Since  the  completion  of  his  course  in  architecture 
Mr.  Lankford  has  had  numerous  engagements  throughout 
the  country.  He  was  the  director  of  construction  at  the 
Jamestown  Exposition  for  the  District  of  Columbia, 
supervising  architect  for  the  National  Negro  Fair  Asso- 
ciation of  Mobile,  Alabama.  He  has  to  his  credit  the 
direction  and  construction  of  the  Masonic  Temple  at 
Jacksonville,  Florida,  at  a  cost  of  $125,000;  Palmer  Hall, 
A.  and  M.  College,  Normal,  Alabama,  $70,000;  a  flat  iron 
building  for  Dr.  W.  Taylor  of  Richmond,  Virginia,  at  a 
cost  of  $60,000,  and  he  is  now  the  supervising  architect 
for  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  throughout  the  country.  Mr. 
Lankford  is  president  of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the 
Army  of  Rescue  and  Religion ;  secretary-treasurer  of 
the  sinking  fund  committee  of  the  Masons  in  Florida, 
director  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  Jacksonville,  Florida,  and  a 
33rd  degree  Mason. 

Latimer,  Lewis  Howard,  was  born  at  Chelsea,  Mass- 
achusetts, September  4,  1848. 


400  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Mr.  Latimer  was  a  draughtsman  and  secretary  for 
Hiram  L.  Maxim,  the  inventor  of  the  Maxim  gun.  He 
manufactured  the  Maxim  patent  incandescent  lamps  in 
London,  England,  from  18802.  From  1882-3  he  was 
engaged  as  an  electrical  engineer  in  the  Olmstead  Electric 
Light  &  Power  Company,  now  the  General  Electric  Com- 
pany. He  served  there  first  as  draughtsman  and  later 
as  an  investigator  of  patents  in  the  legal  department  of 
the  organization.  Since  1912  Mr.  Latimer  has  been  en-~ 
gaged  in  private  practice  as  an  electrical  engineer  and 
solicitor  of  patents.  He  has  invented  several  electrical 
devices,  some  of  which  are  in  use  in  connection  with 
electrical  apparatus. 

Mr.  Latimer  is  a  member  of  Post  Xo.  60,  G.  A.  R.,  of 
New  York ;  member  of  New  York  Electrical  Society  and 
the  Negro  Society  for  Historical  Research.  He  is  the 
author  of  "Incandescent  Electrical  Lighting." 

Lee,  J.  R.  E.,  is  a  native  of  Texas.  He  attended 
Bishop's  College,  Marshall,  Texas,  and  received  his  B.  A. 
He  was  called  to  Tuskegee  to  occupy  the  chair  of  mathe- 
matics and  spent  several  years  in  that  institution.  Leav- 
ing Tuskegee  Institute  he  secured  connection  with  Bene- 
dict College  in  South  Carolina  and  subsequently  with 
Corona,  Alabama.  Just  about  this  time  a  vacancy  oc- 
curred in  the  academic  department  of  Tuskegee  Institute 
and  Mr.  Lee  was  called  to  fill  it  as  head  of  that  depart- 
ment. Under  his  direction  this  department  took  on  new 
life  and  became  the  most  popular  in  the  institution.  An 
opportunity  was  presented  in  the  form  of  a  principalship 
of  the  Lincoln  High  School,  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  and  Mr. 
Lee  accepted  it.  Here  he  has  been  able  to  develop  some 
of  the  plans  which  he  had  conceived  at  Tuskegee  and  else- 
where. Mr.  Lee  combines  with  teaching  an  organizing 
power  which  has  found  expression  in  the  organization  of 


WHO'S   WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  401 

national  as  well  as  state  teachers'  associations.  He  was 
one  of  the  powers  behind  the  National  Negro  Business 
League  and  has  organized  a  number  of  clubs  in  Kansas 
City,  among  them  the  Mother's  Club,  Saving  Clubs,  Hos- 
pital Clubs,  etc.  Mr.  Lee  is  the  father  of  seven  children, 
five  boys  and  two  girls.  The  eldest  son,  Edwin,  was  an 
honor  man  at  Columbia  University,  New  York ;  a  physi- 
cian and  captain  in  the  U.  S.  Army  during  the  war. 

Lewis,  Dr.  Julian,  was  born  in  Springfield,  Illinois. 
He  attended  the  public  schools  of  his  native  city  and  later 
matriculated  in  the  University  of  Illinois,  Urbana,  111. 
While  at  Illinois  he  made  his  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Key,  the 
most  coveted  honor  in  a  college  or  university.  He  special- 
ized in  the  sciences  preparatory  to  entering  the  field  of 
medicine.  At  the  conclusion  of  his  course  he  entered  the 
School  of  Medicine  of  Chicago  University  and  graduated 
with  honors.  He  was  elected  to  the  two  honorary  scien- 
tific societies  and  won  the  Second  Annual  Howard  Taylor 
Rickett  Prize  of  $250.  He  was  appointed  research  as- 
sistant in  pathology  in  the  Medical  School.  Dr.  Lewis 
also  earned  his  Master  of  Arts  degree  as  well  as  Doctor  of 
Philosophy  degree  from  Chicago  University. 

Lewis,  Perry  Rufus,  was  born  in  Brooklyn,  New 
York,  May  26,  1872.  He  entered  the  Law  School  of  New 
York  University  and  graduated  with  the  LL.  B.  degree  in 
1892.  He  was  admitted  to  the  New  York  Bar  the  same 
year  and  began  the  practice  of  law  in  the  City  of  New 
York,  going  later  to  Brooklyn,  his  native  home. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  a  proctor  in  admiralty  cases,  a  director  of 
the  Hannibald  Realty  and  Improvement  Company  and 
the  Foster  Coal,  Land  and  Timber  Company.  He  is  a 
French  scholar  and  has  published  several  literary  pro- 
ductions in  that  language :  "L'Homme  d'apres  la  Science 
et  le  Talmur,"  appeared  in  1912  ;"La  Situation  Actuele  en 

26 


402  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

Haiti,"  appeared  in    1913;   "Subrogation,"  appeared  in 
1910  and  "Positive  Anthropology,"  appeared  in  1914. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  a  member  of  the  following  organizations : 
Brooklyn  Bar  Association,  American  Geographical  So- 
ciety, Metropolitan  Museum  of  Fine  Arts,  American 
Society  of  National  Science. 

Lewis,  William  Henry,  was  born  in  Berkeley,  Virginia, 
November  28,  1868.  His  early  school  training  was  re- 
ceived in  Virginia  Normal  and  Collegiate  Institute, 
Petersburg,  Va.  He  entered  Amherst  College  and  grad- 
uated in  1892.  His  oratorical  skill  was  recognized  by  his 
class  which  elected  him  the  class  orator.  In  the  fall  of 
that  year  he  matriculated  at  Harvard  Law  Department 
and  three  years  later  (1895)  received  his  LL.  B.  degree. 
While  at  Harvard  he  became  a  member  of  the  football 
squad  and  played  on  the  first  team  for  two  years.  At  the 
conclusion  of  his  course  he  was  made  one  of  the  foot- 
ball coaches  and  served  ten  years  in  that  capacity. 

Mr.  Lewis  was  admitted  to  the  Boston  Bar  the  year  of 
his  graduation  and  entered  immediately  into  the  practice 
of  law.  As  a  citizen  and  lawyer  he  has  had  the  privilege 
to  serve  both  the  state  of  his  adoption  and  the  nation. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Cambridge  City  Council 
three  consecutive  occasions  and  served  until  1903  and  as 
assistant  U.  S.  Attorney  General  for  Massachusetts  1903- 
06,  and  subsequently  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Taft  to  the 
office  of  assistant  United  States  Attorney  General  in  1911. 

Mr.  Lewis  is  a  member  of  the  American  Bar  Associ- 
ation, American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science. 
Wilberforce  University  conferred  upon  him  the  LL.  D. 
degree  in  1918  in  recognition  of  his  achievements. 

Locke,  Alain  Leroy,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  Penn- 
sylvania, September  13,  1886. 


WHO'S    WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  403 

Locke  matriculated  at  Harvard  and  received  his  A.  B. 
in  1907.  Mr.  Locke  is  without  a  doubt  one  of  the  most 
brilliant  men  of  the  race  and  of  the  nation.  At  Harvard 
he  won  his  Phi  Beta  Kappa  Key,  a  coveted  honor  among 
students.  He  won  the  Rhodes  Scholarship  from  Pennsyl- 
vania and  entered  Oxford  University,  England,  and  in 
1910  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Literature  from 
this  classic  institution  of  learning.  Leaving  Oxford,  he 
went  to  Germany  and  there  enrolled  in  the  graduate  de- 
partment of  the  Emperor  Wilhelm  University  in  Berlin. 
In  1911  he  returned  to  the  United  States  and  was  ap- 
pointed assistant  professor  of  English  at  Howard  Uni- 
versity, Washington,  D.  C. 

Mr.  Locke  belongs  to  the  following  learned  societies : 
American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science, 
Negro  Society  for  Historical  Research,  African  Union 
Society  of  London,  Negro  Historical  Society  of  Phila- 
delphia, also  the  Harvard  Club  and  the  United  Arts  Club 
of  London.  He  is  a  contributor  to  the  North  American 
Review,  The  Independent,  The  Oxford  Cosmopolitan, 
etc. 

Lyons,  Ernest,  was  born  in  Belize,  Honduras,  Oc- 
tober 22,  1860.  He  received  his  early  schooling  in  his 
native  home  and  his  college  training  in  New  Orleans 
University  where  he  received  his  A.  B.  degree  in  1888. 
He  began  his  pastorage  at  La  Teche,  La.,  in  1883  and 
pastored  subsequently  in  a  number  of  communities  in 
Louisiana. 

Dr.  Lyons  was  appointed  Sunday  School  Agent  for  the 
Louisiana  Conference  in  1894  and  special  agent  Freed- 
man's  Aid  and  Southern  Educational  Society  a  year  later 
In  1896  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  St.  Mark's  Church  in 
New  York  City.  He  remained  there  until  he  was  called 
to  the  pastorate  of  John  Wesley  Church  and  professor  of 


404  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

church  history  in  Morgan  College,  Baltimore,  Md.  While 
in  Maryland  he  established  the  Maryland  Industrial  and 
Agricultural  Institute  for  Colored  Youths.  Two  years 
later  (1903)  he  was  appointed  resident  minister  and 
consul  general  of  U.  S.,  Monrovia,  Liberia.  He  held  this 
office  until  1910  and  returning  to  the  United  States  was 
appointed  Liberian  representative  to  the  United  States. 

Dr.  Lyons  has  represented  his  race  on  a  number  of 
notable  occasions.  He  was  one  of  the  ten  lecturers  ap- 
pointed by  the  department  of  education  of  Baltimore  to 
represent  the  genius,  characteristics  and  contributions  of 
the  several  races  of  civilization. 

McCoo,  Dr.  F.  A.,  born  Montgomery,  Ala.,  June  17, 
1872,  educated  public  schools,  State  Normal  and  Moody 
Bible  Institute  of  Chicago,  D.  D.  at  Guadalupe  College, 
entered  the  ministry  in  1899.  Organized  Berean  Baptist 
Church,  Chicago,  Second  Baptist  Church,  Wheaton,  111., 
and  the  St.  John  Baptist  Church,  of  which  he  is  now 
pastor.  The  present  membership  of  his  church  is  5,300, 
with  property  valued  at  $71,000.00.  He  plans  to  erect  a 
$200,000  church  in  the  near  future. 

Mason,  James  Edward,  was  born  at  Wilkesbarre, 
Penn.,  March  30,  1859.  He  received  his  public  school 
training  at  Wilkesbarre  and  subsequently  private  tuition 
in  theology  under  Dr.  Russell,  Professor  Brown  and  Dr. 
Curtis  of  Syracuse  University.  From  1885  to  1886  he 
was  a  student  of  Cornell  University.  In  1898  the  degree 
of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon  him  by  Living- 
ston College.  He  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the  A.  M.  E. 
Zion  Church  in  1876,  while  he  was  still  in  his  teens  and 
became  known  as  the  "boy  preacher  and  orator."  He 
joined  the  Genesee  Conference  in  1877  ano^  became  a 
deacon  in  1879  and  a  Presiding  Elder  in  1880.  He  was 


WHO'S    WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  405 

the  leading  evangelist  in  the  conference  and  served  on 
many  occasions  in  white  churches.  He  was  elected  for 
two  years  delegate  to  the  General  Conference  of  the  A. 
M.  E.  Zion  Church;  and  the  M.  E.  General  Conference 
which  met  in  Chicago,  111.,  in  1900.  He  was  also  elected 
to  the  Ecumenical  Conference  of  Methodism,  Toronto, 
Canada,  and  was  the  guest  of  the  Empire  Club.  Since 
1897  he  has  served  as  Professor  of  Political  Economy  and 
Financial  Secretary  of  Livingston  College  at  Sallsberry, 
N.  C.  Rev.  Mason  was  twice  called  by  the  Senate  in 
general  prayer  at  Albany,  New  York,  during  the  admin- 
istration of  Theodore  Roosevelt  as  governor.  He 
occupied  the  same  carriage  with  Mr.  Roosevelt  and  spoke 
on  the  same  platform  at  the  fairgrounds,  Elmira,  New 
York.  He  is  a  member  of  the  American  Academy  of 
Political  Economy  and  Social  Science  and  the  author  of 
numerous  lectures  among  which  are  "Lincoln  and  the 
Negro,"  "The  First  Century  Hero,"  "The  Brother  in 
Black." 

Miller,  George  Frazier,  was  born  November  28, 
1864,  at  Aiken,  South  Carolina.  His  public  school  edu- 
cation was  received  in  his  native  state  and  his  academic 
degree  (A.  B.)  from  Howard  University,  Washington, 
D.  C,  in  1888.  At  his  graduation  he  entered  the  General 
Theological  Seminary,  New  York  City,  N.  Y.,  graduating 
in  1891.  In  1893,  Howard  University  conferred  upon 
him  the  M.  A.  degree.  During  the  year  1901-2  he  pur- 
sued courses  in  philosophy  in  New  York  University.  In 
1896  he  was  appointed  Rector  of  St.  Augustine's  Pro- 
testant Episcopal  Church,  Brooklyn,  New  York. 

Dr.  Miller  is  one  of  the  most  influential  Negroes  in  the 
Socialist  Party.  He  is  well  known  in  New  York  and  the 
other  Eastern  states.  He  has  been  among  the  foremost 
agitators  for  an  open  union,  that  is,  the  abolition  of  the 


406  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

color  line  in  the  labor  unions.  He  takes  his  case  to  the 
conventions  and  meetings  of  the  unions  and  points  out 
to  them  the  fallacy  of  their  policy.  His  utterances  are 
freely  quoted  by  publicists  in  the  East.  He  is  the  author 
of  "Seventh  Day  Adventists  Answered,"  and  "Socialism 
and  its  Ethical  Basis"  (pamphlet).  In  1912  his  Alma 
Mater  conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 
Divinity. 

Miller,  Kelly,  was  born  in  Winnsboro,  South  Car- 
olina, July  23,  1863.  He  received  his  early  training  in  the 
public  schools  of  his  native  town  and  at  Fairfield  Institute. 
He  entered  Howard  University  after  leaving  Fairfield 
and  graduated  from  the  College  department  in  1886.  At 
the  completion  of  his  college  course  he  entered  the  grad- 
uate school  of  Johns  Hopkins  University,  Baltimore,  Md.. 
and  spent  two  years  (1897-9)  pursuing  graduate  courses. 

Professor  Kelly  Miller  was  appointed  teacher  of  mathe- 
matics in  the  Washington,  D.  C,  High  School  in  1889 
and  a  year  later  was  called  by  Howard  to  a  chair  of 
mathematics  on  her  faculty  in  1907.  At  the  recent  re- 
organization of  Howard,  Dean  Miller  was  made  dean  of 
the  Junior  College  of  the  University. 

Perhaps  it  is  as  a  sociologist  rather  than  a  mathemati- 
cian that  Professor  Miller  is  known.  As  an  authority  on 
the  race  problem  of  the  United  States  he  has  no  supe- 
rior. His  research  is  extensive  and  his  conclusions  are 
based  on  facts  which  cannot  be  questioned  by  any  one 
who  has  read  his  "Race  Adjustment,"  and  his  "Open 
Letter  to  Woodrow  Wilson,  President  of  the  United 
States."  He  is  also  the  author  of  "Out  of  the  House  of 
Bondage,"  "Negro  Soldier  in  Our  War,"  and  numerous 
articles  contributed  to  national  periodicals.  From  his  pen 
came  the  article  on  "The  Education  of  the  Negro,"  in 
the  report  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  of 


HENRY  M.  MINTOX. 
ELIAS   CAMP   MORRIS. 


IRVINE  GARLAND  PENN. 
HERMAN   E.  PERRY. 


408  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

1901.  His  Alma  Mater,  Howard  University,  conferred 
upon  him  the  A.  M.  degree  in  1901,  and  the  LL.  D. 
degree  in  1903,  for  meritorious  achievement. 

Minton,  Dr.  Henry  McKee,  was  born  in  Columbia, 
South  Carolina,  December  25,  1871.  His  early  education 
was  had  in  the  Phillips  Exeter  Academy,  New  Hamp- 
shire, from  which  he  graduated  in  1891.  He  was  orator 
of  his  class  at  graduation  and  assistant  managing  editor 
of  the  Exonian,  the  semi-weekly  paper  of  the  Academy 
as  well  as  the  managing  editor  of  the  literary  monthly  of 
the  school. 

Graduating  from  Phillips  Exeter,  Dr.  Minton  entered 
the  Philadelphia  College  of  Pharmacy  and  graduated  in 
1895  with  the  degree  of  Ph.  G.  Soon  after  he  graduated 
he  opened  a  drug  store  in  Philadelphia  and  operated  it 
until  1903  when  he  gave  it  up  to  pursue  a  course  in 
medicine.  He  matriculated  in  the  Jefferson  Medical 
College  of  Philadelphia  and  graduated  in  1906.  In  col- 
lege he  specialized  in  the  diseases  of  the  lungs  and  at  his 
graduation  entered  vigorously  into  the  practice  of  medi- 
cine, concentrating  his  attention  on  tubercular  patients. 
He  secured  connection  with  Mercy  Hospital,  Philadel- 
phia, and  became  one  of  its  directors. 

Dr.  Minton  is  also  identified  with  the  following  acti- 
vities: He  is  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors  of 
Whittier  Center;  treasurer  of  the  Downington  Industrial 
School ;  a  member  of  the  Sigma  Pi  Phi ;  G.  U.  O.  O.  F. 
and  a  Mason.  He  is  the  author  of  "Causes  and  Preven- 
tion of  Tuberculosis,"  and  "Early  History  of  Negroes  in 
Business  in  Philadelphia." 

Montgomery,  Isaiah,  was  born  in  1847,  a  slave  of 
Joseph  E.  Davis,  the  brother  of  Jefferson  Davis.  His 
father  who  had  not  only  learned  to  read  and  write,  but 
also  attained  a  fair  degree  of  proficiency  in  mechanical 


DEAN   LOUIS  B.    MOORE,  DEAN  OF  THE  TEACHERS*  COLLEGE  IN    HOWARD 
UNIVERSITY. 

(C)    C.    M.    Battey. 


410  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

engineering  and  architecture  saw  to  it  that  his  son  Isaiah, 
as  well  as  his  brother  and  sister  received  the  benefit  of  his 
intellectual  training.  It  is  said  that  at  the  age  of  eleven 
Isaiah  was  handling  his  master's  mail  and  doing  the  work 
about  the  office. 

Young  Montgomery  took  active  part  in  some  of  the 
naval  expeditions  in  the  Civil  War  among  them  the  Battle 
of  Grand  Gulf,  being  one  of  Admiral  Porter's  cabin  boys. 

The  war  over,  young  Montgomery  and  his  brother 
William  returned  home  and  purchased  the  Davis  plan- 
tation which  comprised  4,000  acres  of  land  for  $300,000, 
a  piece  of  property  considered  to  be  third  in  size  among 
the  largest  plantations  of  its  kind. 

Mr.  Montgomery  is  the  founder  of  Mound  Bayou,  a 
Negro  colony,  situated  in  the  great  Yazoo  Mississippi 
Delta,  in  Boliva  county.  He  moved  to  the  colony  in  the 
spring  of  1888  and  became  one  of  the  leading  figures 
there.  He  has  interests  in  the  leading  economic  enter- 
prises of  the  colony,  among  which  are,  the  Mound  Bayou 
State  Bank,  of  which  he  is  a  director,  Farmer's  Co-oper- 
ative Mercantile  Company  (president),  and  owns  a  gin 
and  saw  mill.  He  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the  National 
Negro  Business  League. 

Moore,  Dr.  Louis  Baxter,  was  born  in  Huntsville. 
Alabama,  September  I,  1866.  He  received  his  education 
at  Fisk  University  from  which  he  graduated  in  1889  with 
the  degree  of  A.  B.  Four  years  later  the  degree  of  A.  M. 
was  conferred  upon  him.  He  entered  the  graduate  de- 
partment of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  and  received 
the  Ph.  D.  degree  in  1896. 

Dr.  Moore  is  among  the  few  American  Negroes  who 
have  had  the  opportunity  to  study  abroad.  After  his 
graduation  from  Fisk  (1889),  Dr.  Moore  accepted  a 
position  as  secretary  of  the  S.  E.  Branch  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in 


WHOS    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  411 

Philadelphia,  Penn.  Leaving  this  position  six  years  later 
he  was  appointed  instructor  in  Howard  University, 
Washington,  D.  C,  1895-7;  assistant  professor  of  Latin 
and  pedagogy,  1898-9;  professor  of  philosophy  and  edu- 
cation and  dean  of  Teacher's  College  in  1898.  He  was 
ordained  a  minister  of  the  Congregational  Church  and 
pastored  the  People's  Church  in  Washington,  D.  C.,  for 
seven  years,  1903-10. 

Moorland,  Jesse  Edward,  was  born  at  Coldwater, 
Ohio,  September  10,  1863.  He  received  his  literary  train- 
ing at  the  Northwestern  Normal  University.  At  the 
completion  of  his  college  course  he  was  ordained  in  the 
ministry  and  became  the  secretary  of  the  Colored  Branch 
of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  in  Washington,  D.  C.  He  remained 
in  this  capacity  for  a  year,  1892-1893,  when  he  resigned 
to  resume  his  work  as  a  pastor.  For  five  years  1893-8  he 
pastored  in  Cleveland,  Ohio,  and  in  Nashville,  Tenn.  He 
resigned  his  charge  once  more  to  engage  in  the  Y.  M.  C. 
A.  service,  this  time  as  the  international  secretary  of  the 
organization. 

In  1905  Howard  University,  Washington,  D.  C.,  con- 
ferred upon  him  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  in 
recognition  of  his  service  to  Christianity. 

Dr.  Moreland  has  been  singularly  successful  as  an 
organizer  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A's.  To  his  effort  is  due  the 
construction  of  a  number  of  Y.  M.  C.  A  buildings, 
which  are  to  be  found  in  several  communities. 

During  the  war  Dr.  Moreland  was  assigned  the  task 
of  finding  competent  men  to  take  charge  of  the  Y.  M.  C.. 
A.'s  in  the,  various  cantonments  in  the  country  and  for 
foreign  service.  So  well  did  he  acquit  himself  that  his 
assistance  was  sought  in  the  selection  of  teachers  for  the 
University  of  the  U.  S.  Expeditionary  Army  in  France. 

Dr.  Moreland  is  a  trustee  of  Howard  University  and 


412  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Douglass  Home  Association,  a  member  of  the  American 
Negro  Academy.  He  is  the  author  of  a  number  of 
monographs  which  deal  with  Y.  M.  C.  A.  activities. 

Morgan,  G.  A.,  was  born  at  Paris,  Kentucky,  but 
migrated  to  Cleveland,  Ohio,  June  i,  1895.  Mr.  Morgan 
arrived  in  Cleveland  with  an  unlined  pocket  book.  One 
of  the  first  things  which  he  did  after  finishing  his  trade 
was  to  invent  a  woman's  hat  fastener  and  a  belt  fastener. 
He  has  subsequently  made  other  inventions,  the  most 
important  of  which  is  a  safety  hood  which  is  used  as  a 
protection  against  fumes  and  smoke. 

For  this  invention  Mr.  Morgan  was  awarded  a  gold 
medal  which  was  the  First  Grand  Prize  at  the  Second 
International  Exposition  of  Safety  and  Sanitation,  in 
New  York  in  1914.  Other  inventions  which  bear  Mr. 
Morgan's  name  are  a  friction  device  and  a  hair  straight- 
ener. 

Mr.  Morgan  is  also  engaged  in  other  phases  of  in- 
dustry. He  is  president  of  the  G.  A.  Morgan  Hair 
Refinery  Co.,  of  Cleveland,  Ohio.  He  was  at  one  time 
engaged  in  the  manufacture  of  skirts. 

He  holds  membership  in  the  following  organizations : 
Committee  for  Home  of  Aged  People,  Phillis  Wheat  ley 
Association,  N.  A.  A.  C.  P.,  and  treasurer  of  the  Cleve- 
land Association  of  Colored  Men. 

Morris,  Elias  Camp,  was  born  near  Spring  Place, 
Murray  county,  Georgia,  May  7,  1855.  He  received  his 
early  education  at  Nashville  Institute,  novr  Roger 
Williams  University,  Tennessee.  Dr.  Morris  joined  the 
Baptist  Church  and  was  ordained  in  1879.  At  his 
ordination  he  was  appointed  pastor  of  the  Centennial 
Baptist  Church  in  Helena,  Ark.,  a  charge  which  he  has 
held  up  to  this  day.  Under  his  supervision  the  church 
has  been  rejuvenated  both  as  to  the  matter  of  membership 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  ,         413 

and  finance.  From  a  membership  of  twenty-two,  when 
he  took  charge  of  the  church,  the  number  has  been  in- 
creased to  700  and  a  new  church  building  erected  valued 
at  $40,000. 

He  organized  the  Baptist  Home  Mission  Board  in 
1899 ;  helped  in  the  organization  of  the  General  Conven- 
tion of  America,  1903 ;  the  Baptist  World  Alliance,  1905 ; 
the  Baptist  "Vanguard"  weekly  paper  and  is  trustee 
of  the  Arkansas  Baptist  College.  Dr.  Morris  was 
also  a  member  of  the  Peace  Conference  of  English 
Speaking  People  of  the  World,  the  director  of  the  Arkan- 
sas State  Negro  Business  League.  From  a  political 
standpoint  Dr.  Morris  is  a  Republican  and  was  a  delegate 
to  the  Republican  National  Convention  in  1884,  1888, 
1904  and  alternate  delegate  at  large  in  1908.  Since  1895 
he  has  been  president  of  the  Regular  National  Baptist 
Convention,  the  largest  and  wealthiest  of  the  Race. 

Mossell,  Nathan  F.,  was  born  at  Hamilton,  Ontario, 
Canada,  July  27,  1856.  When  he  was  nine  years  old  his 
family  moved  to  Rockport,  New  York.  He  matriculated 
in  the  medical  department  of  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania and  graduated  in  1882  with  the  degree  of  M.  D. 
He  pursued  post  graduate  work  in  the  Polyclinic  Hos- 
pital, Philadelphia  and  Guy's  Queen  College  and  St. 
Thomas  Hospital,  London,  England. 

He  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Philadelphia  in 
1882  and  was  associated  with  the  Out-Patient  Surgical 
Department  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  for  a  year 
1 881-2.  In  1895  he  organized  the  Frederick  Douglass 
Memorial  Hospital  and  Training  School,  Philadelphia, 
and  erected  a  plant  valued  at  $100,000.  He  is  medical, 
director  of  the  institution.  He  was  appointed  a  member 
of  the  Board  of  Visitation  for  the  city  of  Philadelphia. 

Dr.   Mossell  holds  membership  in  the   following  so- 


414  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

cieties:  National  Medical  Association,  American  Hos- 
pital Association,  Philadelphia  County  Medical  Society, 
Philadelphia  Academy  of  Medicine,  and  Allied  Sciences. 
He  is  the  author  of  "Hospital  Construction  Organization 
and  Management." 

Mrs.  Mossell  is  equally  as  prominent  in  the  civic  life 
of  Philadelphia  as  Dr.  Mossell.  She  began  life  as  a 
teacher  in  Camden,  New  Jersey,  and  Philadelphia,  Pa. 
Since  her  marriage  she  is  devoting  her  time  to  public  life. 
She  is  president  of  the  Social  Service  of  the  Frederick 
Douglass  Hospital.  She  is  one  of  the  founders  of  the 
Bustill  Family  Association ;  an  organizer  of  the  National 
Afro-American  Council ;  Member  of  the  Board  of  Man- 
agers of  Y.  W.  C.  A.,  of  Philadelphia,  member  of  the 
Philadelphia  Civic  Club,  Northwestern  Federation  of 
Women's  Clubs,  member  of  the  Harriet  Tubman  As- 
sociation, Sojourner  Truth  Suffrage  League.  She  was  a 
delegate  to  the  National  Civic  Movement  Convention 
which  met  in  Kansas  City,  Mo.,  in  1914.  Her  appoint- 
ment came  from  Governor  Tanner  of  Philadelphia.  Mrs. 
Mossell  is  also  a  contributor  to  the  Philadelphia  Times 
and  Inquirer.  She  is  the  author  of  "Little  Dansie's  One 
Day  at  Sabbath  School"  and  the  "Work  of  Afro-Ameri- 
can Women." 

Moton,  Robert  Russia,  was  born  August  26,  1864,  on 
a  plantation  in  Virginia. 

He  came  into  contact  with  a  negro  schoolmaster  who 
advised  him  to  go  to  Hampton  where  he  graduated  in 
1890  and  later  became  one  of  its  teachers.  He  was  placed 
in  charge  of  six  companies  of  Negro  and  Indian  students 
with  the  rank  of  Major. 

Major  Moton  belongs  to  the  conservative  element  of 
his  race.  He,  like  his  predecessor  at  Tuskegee,  Dr. 
Washington,  recognized  the  necessity  for  a  harmonious 


M.ICE     MOORE    UUNBAR    NELSON,    WHO    SO    SUCCESSFULLY    MOBILIZED 
THE  COLORED   WOMEN   FOR   WAR   WORK. 


416  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

relationship  between  his  race  and  its  next  door  neighbor 
and  toward  that  end  he  is  directing  all  attention,  energy 
and  his  resourceful  mind. 

Nelson,  Alice  Dunbar,  was  born  in  New  Orleans,  La.. 
on  July  19,  1875.  She  received  her  early  training  in  the 
public  schools  of  Louisiana  and  Straight  University,  New 
Orleans.  She  graduated  from  the  latter  institution  and 
entered  the  teaching  profession.  She  taught  in  the  public 
schools  of  Louisiana  for  three  years  after  which  she  left 
the  South  and  went  North  to  pursue  courses  in  manual 
training.  She  has  served  on  the  teaching  staff  of  Hamp- 
ton Institute,  State  College,  Dover,  Delaware,  National 
Religious  Training  School,  Durham,  N.  C.,  Howard  High 
School,  Wilmington,  Delaware.  She  and  others  organ- 
ized the  Douglass  Publishing  Co.,  of  Harrisburgh,  Pa., 
and  was  vice  president.  She  edited  and  published  the 
"Masterpieces  of  Negro  Eloquence,"  "Violets  and  Other 
Tales,"  "Goodness  of  St.  Rocque,"  "The  Negro  of 
Louisiana,"  "A  Biography  of  Dunbar  and  His  Poems," 
"The  New  Negro  Speaker,"  and  has  contributed  to  a 
number  of  periodicals,  among  them :  Ladies'  Home  Jour- 
nal, Lippincott's,  McClure's,  Smart  Set,  The  Crisis,  Edu- 
cation, and  a  number  of  daily  papers.  Mrs.  Nelson  met 
and  married  Paul  Lawrence  Dunbar,  the  Negro  poet,  on 
March  6,  1893.  Since  the  death  of  her  husband,  which 
occurred  in  1906,  she  has  devoted  her  time  to  teaching 
and  in  literary  pursuits.  Her  second  marriage  occurred 
recently.  During  the  war  she  was  active  as  one  of  the 
organizers  of  the  Negro  women  for  war  duties  under 
the  auspices  of  the  Council  of  National  Defense.  Mrs. 
Nelson  is  identified  with  the  following  organizations : 
Teachers  Beneficial  Association,  Negro  Society  for  His- 
torical Research  and  Suffrage  Study  Club. 

Nutter,  Isaac  Henry,    was    born    in    Princess    Anne. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  417 

Maryland,  August  20,  1878.  The  preparation  for  his 
legal  course  was  received  in  his  native  state.  He  matric- 
ulated at  Howard  University  Law  School,  Washington, 
D.  C,  and  graduated  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  He  was 
admitted  to  the  bar  of  New  Jersey  in  1905.  He  began 
the  practice  of  law  in  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  and  later  be- 
came the  law  associate  of  ex-Judge  John  J.  Crandall.  He 
is  solicitor  of  the  Atlantic  County  Republican  League ; 
General  Advisor  of  the  New  Jersey  State  Republican 
League  and  president  of  Nutter's  Real  Estate  Company. 
In  1913  Wilberforce  conferred  upon  him  the  LL.  D.  de- 
gree for  his  achievement  in  the  legal  field. 

Penn,  Dr.  Irvine  Garland,  was  born  at  New  Glascow, 
Va.,  October  7,  1867.  He  graduated  from  the  high  school 
of  Lynchburg.  He  was  appointed  principal  and  later 
he  was  appointed  National  Commissioner  of  Negro 
Exhibits  at  the  Cotton  States  and  International 
Exposition.  Resigning  that  position  at  the  end  of  a  year, 
he  became  identified  with  the  M.  E.  Church  and  has 
served  first  as  general  secretary  of  the  Epworth  League 
of  the  M.  E.  Church  for  Colored  People,  and  is  now  one 
of  the  corresponding  secretaries  of  the  Freedmen's  Aid 
Society.  Rust  College  conferred  the  degree  of  Master  of 
Arts  upon  him  and  Wiley  University,  Marshall,  Texas, 
the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Letters  in  recognition  of  his  dis- 
tinguished service. 

Dr.  Penn  has  been  a  member  of  the  M.  E.  Church  Gen- 
eral Conference  for  28  consecutive  years  and  is  the 
author  of  the  "Afro-American  Press." 

Perry,  Herman  E.,  was  born  in  Houston,  Texas, 
March  5,  1873.  He  attended  public  school  and  left  before 
he  reached  the  eighth  grade.  After  leaving  school  he 
helped  his  father,  first  in  his  grocery  store  and  then  on 
the  farm.  For  twelve  years  he  sold  insurance  policies 


418  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

and  after  he  had  gained  considerable  information  in  re- 
gard to  the  inner  working  of  an  insurance  company  he 
left  New  York  and  returned  to  Atlanta,  Georgia,  for  the 
purpose  of  organizing  an  insurance  company. 

His  first  attempt  was  unsuccessful  and  his  failure 
served  as  a  greater  stimulus  rather  than  discouragement. 
Almost  the  very  day  after  his  first  attempt  had  failed  he 
launched  out  the  new  campaign  which  culminated  in  the 
organization  of  the  Standard  Life  Insurance  Company  of 
Atlanta,  Georgia,  the  only  old  line  Negro  life  insurance 
company.  In  1918  the  insurance  in  force  amounted  to 
$8,208,720,  and  the  premium  income  to  $339,327.77.  The 
total  death  claims  paid  in  1918  was  $79,73347- 

Mr.  Perry  has  organized  a  number  of  other  successful 
enterprises  since.  For  example,  he  organized  the  Service 
Company  with  a  capital  stock  of  $100,000  and  the  Citizen 
Trust  Company  with  a  capital  stock  of  $250,000  and  a 
surplus  of  $250,000. 

Pickens,  Dr.  William,  was  born  in  Anderson  county, 
South  Carolina,  on  January  15,  1881.  His  father  and 
mother  migrated  to  Arkansas  in  1888  where  young 
Pickens  had  his  early  training  for  the  singular  career 
which  he  was  destined  to  carve  out  for  himself. 

Young  Pickens  graduated  from  the  high  school  as 
valedictorian  in  1899  and  in  the  fall  of  the  same  year 
entered  Talladega  College,  Alabama,  as  a  sophomore. 
While  a  student  at  Talladega  he  won  the  oratorical  and 
literary  prizes  and  led  in  all  the  studies.  He  received  his 
A.  B.  degree  from  Talladega  in  the  spring  of  1902  and 
in  the  fall  of  the  same  year  he  entered  Yale  University. 

Dr.  Pickens'  success  at  Yale  was  not  less  phenomenal 
than  his  success  in  Talladega.  In  1903  he  won  the  Henry 
James  Ten  Eycks  oratorical  prize,  with  first  honor  over 
a  class  of  over  three  hundred.  He  graduated  from  Yale 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  419 

in  1904  after  having  been  elected  to  the  honor  college 
fraternity  of  Phi  Beta  Kappa,  and  the  ranking  student  of 
his  class. 

His  services  as  teacher  of  languages  were  retained  by 
Talladega  from  1904  to  1914.  In  1913  he  toured  Europe 
and  in  1914  was  called  to  the  chair  of  Greek  and  sociology 
by  Wiley  University,  Marshall,  Texas,  where  he  re- 
mained but  one  year.  In  the  fall  of  1919  he  was  ap- 
pointed dean  of  Morgan  College,  Baltimore,  Maryland. 
He  held  this  position  for  three  years,  at  the  end  of  which 
he  was  elected  vice  president  of  the  institution.  He 
held  the  degree  of  LL.  D.  from  Wiley  University  in 
recognition  of  distinguished  services  to  the  school. 

When  the  United  States  declared  war  against  the 
Central  Powers  in  1917,  and  the  question  of  the  establish- 
ment of  Negro  Officers'  Training  Camps  was  under  con- 
sideration, Dr.  Pickens  with  Mr.  J.  E.  Spingern  were  the 
moving  spirits  behind  the  plan.  Indeed,  it  may  safely  be 
said  that  they  originated  the  movement.  Through  their 
efforts  the  school  was  established  in  Fort  Des  Moines, 
Iowa,  the  only  camp  of  its  kind  known  in  the  history  of 
America. 

Dr.  Pickens  is  the  author  of  "The  New  Negro," 
"The  Heir  of  Slaves,"  and  many  pamphlets  and  published 
addresses.  He  is  also  a  contributing  editor  to  a  number 
of  Negro  weeklies.,  At  present  he  is  a  member  of  the 
Colored  Section  of  the  Maryland  Council  of  Defense  and 
member  of  the  Executive  Committee  of  the  Roosevelt 
Memorial  Association  of  Maryland. 

Pickens  typifies  what  he  himself  calls  the  New  Negro. 
He  is  one  of  the  most  convincing  platform  orators  of  the 
race.  Recently  he  has  addressed  several  legislative  bodies 
and  mixed  audiences  in  relation  to  the  attitude  of  the 
two  races  to  one  another.  In  spite  of  the  radical  program 


420  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

to  which  he  has  committed  himself  he  commands  the 
respect  of  the  white  men  both  in  the  North  and  in  the 
South. 

Powell,  A.  Clayton,  was  born  in  Franklin  county, 
Virginia,  May  5,  1865.  He  entered  the  Virginia  Union 
University  and  graduated  in  1892.  He  spent  a  year  in  the 
Yale  Divinity  School  in  New  Haven,  Conn. 

Rev.  Powell  was  ordained  in  the  Baptist  ministry  in 
1892  and  that  same  year  he  was  elected  pastor  of  a  charge 
in  Philadelphia,  Penn.  He  served  subsequently  as  pastor 
in  New  Haven,  Conn.,  1893-1908,  resigning  to  become 
pastor  of  the  Abyssinian  Church,  New  York  City.  He 
has  successfully  ministered  unto  the  people  of  this  charge 
since  1908.  This  church  is  considered  the  wealthiest 
Negro  Baptist  church  in  the  country.  Its  property  hold- 
ings amount  to  $350,000  and  its  membership  3,300. 

There  are  other  activities  in  which  Reverend  Powell 
is  interested.  For  example  he  is  a  member  of  the 
National  Urban  League,  the  National  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Colored  People,  the  White  Rose  In- 
dustrial Home,  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  other  organizations 
of  a  social  nature.  He  is  a  trustee  of  the  following  in- 
stitutions: Virginia  Seminary  and  College,  National 
Training  School  for  Women  and  Girls,  Downington  In- 
dustrial and  Agricultural  School.  In  addition  to  that  he 
has  published  a  number  of  pamphlets,  some  of  which  are : 
"The  Valley  of  Dry  Bones,"  "Some  Rights  Not  Denied 
the  Negro  Race,"  "Power  of  the  Spirit,"  "The  Need  of 
the  Hour,"  etc. 

Powell,  William  Frank,  was  born  at  Troy,  New 
York,  June  26,  1845.  ^e  attended  Lincoln  University, 
New  York  School  of  Pharmacy  and  the  New  Jersey 
Collegiate  Institute.  From  the  last  school  he  graduated 
in  1865. 


HENRY  HUGH   PROCTOR. 
EUGENE  P.  ROBERTS. 


REV.  A.  CLAYTON   POWELL. 
MACK  MATTHEW  RODCERS. 


•422  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

Dr.  Powell  began  life  as  a  teacher,  appointed  by  the 
Presbyterian  Board  of  Home  Missions  to  the  Freedman 
School  at  Leesburg,  Va.  He  was  responsible  for  the 
opening  of  the  first  Freedmen's  School  in  Alexandria,  Va. 
In  1875  he  was  called  to  the  principalship  of  Bordertown 
School,  New  Jersey.  He  served  until  1881  and  resigned 
to  becomefa  bookkeeper  in  the  U.  S.  Treasury.  His  next 
business  appointment  was  as  district  superintendent  of 
schools,  Camden,  N.  J.  He  introduced  manual  training 
in  his  district.  In  1897  he  was  appointed  Envoy  Extra- 
ordinary and  Minister  Plenipotentiary  to  the  Republic  of 
Haiti  and  charge  d'  affaires  to  Santo  Domingo.  He  held 
this  position  until  1905.  Returning  to  the  United  States 
he  became  identified  with  the  Philadelphia  Tribune  as  an 
editorial  writer.  In  recognition  of  his  distinguished  ser- 
vice Lincoln  University  conferred  upon  him  the  LL.  D. 
degree  in  1907. 

Proctor,  Henry  Hugh,  was  born  in  Fayetteville, 
Tennessee,  December  8,  1868,  the  son  of  Richard  and 
Hannah  Proctor.  He  entered  Fisk  University,  Nash- 
ville, Tennessee,  and  graduated  in  1891.  He  entered 
Yale  Divinity  School,  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  and 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Divinity  in 
1894. 

After  his  graduation  Dr.  Proctor  was  appointed  pastor 
of  the  Congregational  Church,  Atlanta,  Georgia,  a  charge 
he  has  held  since.  Under  his  pastorage,  there  is  a  free 
public  library  with  3,000  volumes ;  Avery  Congregational 
House  for  Girls ;  A  gymnasium  which  is  kept  open  after- 
noons and  evenings ;  the  prison  mission ;  the  trouble  de- 
partment ;  the  Conally  water  fountain ;  the  Georgia 
Music  Association  and  auditorium  with  a  seating  capac- 
ity of  1,000,  with  modern  equipment  and  sanitary  con- 
veniences. But  his  activities  do  not  stop  there.  He  is 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  423 

the  vice-president  of  the  American  Missionary  Associ- 
ation, of  New  York;  President  of  the  Carrie  Steel 
Orphanage,  of  Atlanta;  Secretary  of  the  Congregational 
Workers  among  Colored  People;  Moderator  of  the 
National  Council  of  the  Congregational  Church.  He  is 
chairman  of  the  Arkansas  State  Mission  Board  since 
1900.  He  is  also  an  executive  member  of  the  American 
Executive  Committee  of  the  Baptist  World  Alliance,  and 
the  General  Convention  of  America. 

Randolph,  Florence,  was  born  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  She  received  her  early  education  in  Avery 
Normal  Institute  and  in  the  public  schools  of  Charleston, 
S.C. 

Mrs.  Randolph  left  the  South  and  went  to  the  North 
and  settled  in  New  Jersey.  There  she  became  identified 
with  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  and  in  1897  was  licensed  to 
preach  in  New  Jersey.  Bishop  Alexander  Walters  rec- 
ommended that  she  be  admitted  to  the  Conference  and  in 
1901  she  was  ordained  a  Deaconess  and  two  years  later 
an  Elder.  She  was  elected  a  delegate  to  the  Ecumenical 
Conference  which  met  in  London  in  1901. 

Rev.  Randolph  has  served  as  pastor  of  several  churches 
in  New  Jersey  and  New  York.  While  in  Europe  she 
preached  in  the  Primitive  Methodist  Church  of  Mattison 
Road,  London,  England.  She  spends  a  great  deal  of  her 
time  ministering  to  the  prisoners  of  New  York  and  New 
Jersey.  She  is  an  ardent  supporter  of  the  temperance 
movement  relative  to  which  she  lectures  in  New  Jersey 
and  in  other  communities.  She  holds  membership  in  the 
New  Jersey  State  Federation  of  Women's  Clubs,  Execu- 
tive Board  of  the  New  Jersey  State  Suffrage  Association 
and  its  chaplain,  chaplain  of  the  Northeastern  Feder- 
ation of  Colored  Women's  Clubs,  President  of  the 
Women's  Home  and  Foreign  Missionary  Society  of  the 
A.  M.  E.  Zion  Curch. 


42  i  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

Ransom,  Reverdy  Cassins,  was  born  at  Flushing, 
Ohio,  January  4,  1861.  He  entered  the  Theological 
School  of  Wilberforce  University,  Ohio,  and  graduated 
with  the  B.  D.  degree  in  1886. 

Dr.  Ransom  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the  A.  M.  E. 
church  in  1883  and  ordained  Elder  in  1888.  He  has 
served  as  pastor  of  charges  in  Pennsylvania,  Ohio, 
Massachusetts  and  New  York.  He  held  the  charge  in 
New  York  City  from  1907-1912.  In  1912  he  was  elected 
editor  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church  Review  at  Kansas  City, 
Mo.  His  literary  works  number  among  them  the  ad- 
dresses of  John  Brown,  William  Lloyd  Garrison,  Wendell 
Phillips,  Robert  G.  Ingersoll  and  Charles  Sumners' 
"School  Days  at  Wilberforce." 

The  degree  of  Doctor  of  Divinity  was  conferred  upon 
him  in  1897  by  Wilberforce  University,  Ohio,  an  institu- 
tion of  which  he  is  a  trustee. 

Raphael,  The  Very  Reverend  Father,  was  born  at 
Chapelton,  Clarendon,  Jamaica,  B.  W.  I.  His  elemen- 
tary education  was  received  in  his  native  land.  From  an 
early  age  he  left  home  and  going  first  to  Colon,  Republic 
of  Panama,  then  to  the  United  States  and  Europe.  He 
came  under  the  influence  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church  and  was  made  a  lay  reader.  His  more  advanced 
literary  training  was  received  in  Freetown,  Sierra  Leone, 
West  Africa.  He  took  private  studies  preparatory  to 
entering  the  ministry  and  later  entered  St.  Aidon's  Theo- 
logical College,  Brookshead,  England,  and  King's  College, 
University  of  London.  Was  ordained  in  America  in  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  and  became  honorary 
curate  in  St.  Matthew's  Wilmington,  Delaware.  He 
taught  in  the  public  schools  of  Delaware  for  a  short 
time,  returning  to  Europe  subsequently. 

Father  Raphael  became  dissatisfied  with  the  Anglican 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  425 

Church  and  became  interested  in  the  Greek  Church,  and 
returning  to  the  United  States  was  ordained  in  the  Greek 
Orthodox  Catholic  Church  of  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  the 
only  Negro  to  be  identified  with  this  religion.  He 
founded  and  became  Superior  of  the  Order  of  the  Cross 
of  Golgotha,  a  religious  fraternity. 

Roberts,  Eugene  P.,  was  born  in  Louisburg,  North 
Carolina,  October  5,  1868.  He  received  his  elementary 
training  in  his  native  home  and  entered  Lincoln  Univer- 
sity, Chester,  Pennsylvania,  in  1887,  from  which  he 
graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in  1891.  He  entered 
Flower  Hospital  and  the  New  York  Homeopathic  Medical 
Association  and  graduated  in  1894.  The  degree  of  M.  A. 
was  conferred  upon  him  by  Lincoln  in  recognition  of  his 
merit  in  his  chosen  field. 

Dr.  Robert  is  a  specialist  in  diseases  of  children,  a 
lecturer  on  care  of  babies,  and  an  inspector  of  the  depart- 
ment of  health.  Recognizing  his  merits  in  this  field  he 
has  been  asked  several  times  by  the  National  Medical 
Association  to  address  them  on  the  subject  of  children's 
diseases.  He  holds  membership  in  the  following  organ- 
izations :  Medical  Club,  New  York  County  Medical  As- 
sociation, National  Medical  Association,  New  York 
Materia  Medica  Society,  Academy  of  Pathological 
Science,  Medico-Chirurgical  Society,  chairman  of  the 
Colored  Branch,  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  National  League  for  the 
Protection  of  Colored  Women,  and  a  member  of  the 
Executive  Board  of  the  National  Urban  League. 

Rodgers,  Mack  Matthew,  was  born  in  Wharton 
county,  Texas,  July  13,  1859.  He  entered  Prairie  View 
State  Normal  School,  Prairie  View,  Texas,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  with  honors  in  1881. 

Mr.  Rodgers  moved  to  LaGrange,  Texas,  in  1887,  and 
was  elected  to  the  principalship  of  the  city  school.  He 


426  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

became  interested  in  politics  and  as  a  reward  for  his 
activity  was  for  three  successive  terms  elected  alderman 
of  the  city  of  LaGrange.  He  has  been  elected  delegate 
to  the  National  Republican  Convention  five  times,  1888, 
1892,  1900,  1904,  1912.  In  1897,  he  was  appointed  deputy 
Collector  of  Internal  Revenue  for  the  third  district  of 
Texas,  the  first  Negro  to  have  received  this  appointment. 

He  has  served  as  secretary  of  the  LaGrange  Baptist 
Association ;  Secretary  of  the  Baptist  Missionary  and 
Educational  Convention  of  Texas.  Under  his  influence 
the  convention  was  incorporated  and  thereby  removing 
some  of  the  pressure  of  personal  responsibility.  He  is 
auditor  of  the  National  Baptist  Convention  of  the  United 
States,  and  Grand  Keeper  of  the  Records,  Seals  and 
Secretary  of  the  Knights  of  Pythias.  He  was  one  of  the 
commissioners  who  supervised  the  construction  of  the 
Pythian  Temple  of  Dallas. 

Roman,  Dr.  Charles  Victor,  was  born  at  Williams- 
port,  Pa.,  on  July  4,  1864.  He  attended  the  Hamilton 
Collegiate  Institution,  Hamilton,  Ontario,  and  completed 
the  course  of  studies.  Returning  to  the  U.  S.,  Dr.  Roman 
taught  for  a  while  in  the  public  schools  of  Kentucky  and 
Tennessee,  and  later  matriculated  in  the  Medical  College 
of  Meharry.  He  received  his  M.  D.  degree  from  that 
institution  in  1890.  Not  content  with  merely  getting  the 
fundamentals  of  his  profession  he  took  post  graduate 
courses  in  Chicago,  111.,  and  in  the  Royal  London  Oph- 
thalmic Hospital  and  Central  London  Nose,  Throat  and 
Ear  Hospital,  England. 

Dr.  Roman  first  settled  in  Dallas,  Texas,  and  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  medicine  until  1904  when  he  moved  to 
Nashville,  Tenn.  He  was  appointed  professor  of  ear, 
eye,  nose  and  throat  diseases  in  Meharry  College  of 
Medicine.  He  is  identified  with  many  other  actirkies 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  427 

among  them,  director  of  the  One  Cent  Saving  Bank;  he 
holds  membership  in  the  National  Medical  Association, 
American  Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Sciences, 
Southern  Sociological  Congress,  Odd  Fellows,  Knights  of 
Pythias,  and  editor  of  the  National  Medical  Journal. 

He  is  the  author  of  a  number  of  books  and  pamphlets, 
among  them,  "Eye,  Ear,  Nose  and  Throat  Formulary," 
(1909);  "Racial  Solidarity,"  (1911);  "Science  and 
Christian  Ethics,"  (1913);  "Dethronement  of  a  King," 
(1913);  and  "American  Civilization  and  the  Negro." 

Scarbrough,  Dr.  William  Sanders,  was  born  at 
Macon,  Georgia,  February  16,  1854,  the  son  of  Jeremiah 
and  Frances  Scarbrough.  He  received  his  preparation 
for  his  course  at  Atlanta  University,  Atlanta,  Ga.  He 
entered  Oberlin  College,  Ohio,  and  graduated  in  1875  an^ 
received  his  M.  A.  degree  in  1878. 

Dr.  Scarbrough  began  life  as  a  teacher  of  Greek  at 
Wilberforce  University  in  1877,  and  continued  until  1891, 
when  he  resigned  to  become  professor  of  Hellenic  Greek 
at  Payne  Theological  Seminary.  In  1895  he  was  called 
back  to  Wilberforce  and  appointed  professor  of  Greek 
and  head  of  the  classical  department.  He  subsequently 
became  vice-president  and  from  1908  he  has  been  presi- 
dent. 

Dr.  Scarbrough  holds  membership  in  a  number  of  so- 
cieties. Among  them  are:  Archaeological  Institute  of 
America ;  American  Philological  Association ;  American 
Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Science;  American 
Social  Science  Association;  American  Dialectic  Society; 
National  Geographical  Society;  American  Negro 
Academy ;  American  Folk-Lore  Society.  He  is  a  trustee 
of  the  Lincoln  Memorial  Association  of  Ohio;  was  dele- 
gate to  the  Ecumenical  Conference  of  Methodism  at 
London,  England,  in  1901,  and  delegate  to  the  Universal 


HON.  EMMETT  J.  SCOTT,  SECRETARY-TREASURER,   HOWARD  UNIVERSITY, 
WASHINGTON,   D.    C. 

Formerly  Special  Assistant  to  the  Secretary  of  War. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  429 

Race  Congress.  Dr.  Scarbrough  is  the  author  of  "Our 
Political  Status,"  "Theory  and  Function  of  the  Thematic 
Vowel  of  the  Greek  Verb,"  "First  Lessons  in  Greek," 
and  "Birds  of  Aristophanes,  a  Theory  of  Interpretation." 

In  recognition  of  his  achievements  in  the  literary  world 
State  University,  Louisville,  Ky.,  conferred  upon  him 
the  degree  of  Ph.  D.  and  Morris  Brown  College  the 
degree  of  A.  M. 

Scott,  Emmett  J.,  Dr.,  was  born  in  Houston,  Texas, 
44  years  ago.  He  received  his  intellectual  training  from 
the  Wiley  University,  Marshall,  Texas,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  received  his  A.  B.  degree. 

Dr.  Booker  T.  Washington  was  attracted  by  Mr.  Scott's 
work  as  newspaper  correspondent  of  the  Houston  Post 
and  was  further  impressed  by  the  executive  ability  which 
he  demonstrated  in  arranging  a  monster  and  well  planned 
mass  meeting  of  white  and  colored  citizens  of  Texas.  As 
a  result,  Scott  was  tendered  the  position  of  confidential 
secretary  to  Dr.  Washington  in  which  capacity  he  served 
efficiently  for  18  years  and  was  later  elected  secretary  of 
Tuskegee  Institute. 

In  addition  to  his  duties  as  secretary  of  Tuskegee  he 
was  editor  of  "The  Tuskegee  Student,"  the  organ  of  the 
institution.  Dr.  Scott  has  acted  as  secretary  of  the 
National  Negro  Business  League,  ever  since  its  organ- 
ization in  Boston,  Massachusetts,  eighteen  years  ago. 
This  organization  is  perhaps  the  most  influential  Negro 
organization  in  America  and  exercises  a  most  potent 
effect  on  racial  and  civic  affairs,  through  its  more  than 
five  hundred  local  business  leagues  and  branches  of  the 
parent  organization  which  are  operating  in  various  com- 
munities throughout  the  country. 

During  the  administration  of  Hon.  William  H.  Taft, 
President  of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Scott  was  appointed 


486  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Special  Commissioner  to  Liberia  to  help  investigate  and 
adjust  financial  and  other  important  matters  relating  to 
that  Negro  republic. 

Our  entrance  in  the  European  conflict  and  its  attendant 
problems  both  social  and  economic  made  it  necessary  for 
the  Secretary  of  War,  Hon.  Newton  D.  Baker,  to  mobi- 
lize not  only  the  fighting  forces  of  the  nation  but  also  its 
social  forces.  In  order  effectively  to  accomplish  this  all 
grounds  for  discontent  had  to  be  cleared  and  national 
harmony  for  once  at  least  established.  The  Negro  as  an 
individual  and  as  a  race  was  the  greatest  sufferer.  The 
injustices  which  he  was  suffering  at  the  hands  of  the 
nation  were  exploited  by  German  agents  to  such  an  extent 
that  the  government  became  alarmed  and  its  conscience 
suffered  a  righteous  awakening.  Another  Booker  T. 
Washington  had  to  be  found  and  the  choice  fell  on  Scott. 
He  was  borrowed  from  Tuskegee  and  appointed  Special 
Assistant  Secretary  of  War  in  charge  of  Negro  Problems, 
both  military  and  civil. 

Mr.  Scott,  though  new  to  official  Washington,  ap- 
proached his  big  job  with  the  coolness  of  a  veteran.  No 
bombast  attended  his  accession  to  his  office.  He  had  no 
preconceived  "policies"  to  put  over — no  personal  axes  to 
grind.  He  had  no  friends  to  reward  and  no  enemies  to 
punish.  He  did  not  "attitudinize"  for  the  purpose  of 
magnifying  the  importance  of  his  mission  or  himself. 
Modestly  he  took  hold  of  his  work  with  half  a  desk  as 
his  quarters  and  there  he  mapped  out  his  program  with 
the  one  intent  uppermost  in  his  mind — to  serve  to  the 
limit  of  his  powers  the  people  whom  he  was  chosen  to 
represent. 

Mr.  Scott  was  called  upon  to  settle  numerous  vexing 
problems  arising  from  the  relation  between  the  two  races 
as  they  labored  together  for  the  defeat  of  the  enemy. 


WHO'S    WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  431 

Some   of   the  changes  he   was   instrumental   in   having 
brought  about  are : 

1.  The  enrollment  of  Colored  Red  Cross  Nurses. 

2.  The  extension  to  young  colored  men  of  the  oppor- 
tunity for  special  training. 

3.  The  establishment  of  a  woman's  branch  under  the 
Council  of  National  Defense. 

4.  Opening  of  every  branch  of  the  military  services 
to  colored  men. 

Mr.  Scott  is  now  the  secretary  and  treasurer  of 
Howard  University,  Washington,  D.  C,  a  position  which 
is  equally  as  important  as  that  previously  held  by  him. 

Smith,  Rev.  C.  H.,  was  born  a  slave  September  8,  1864, 
in  Edgecombe  county,  North  Carolina. 

Rev.  Smith  is  in  every  sense  of  the  word  a  self  made 
man  who  found  it  necessary  to  push  for  himself  at  a 
very  early  age. 

He  founded  the  Vienna  Oak  Missionary  Baptist  Sun- 
day School  Convention  in  1888,  and  acted  as  its  president 
for  fourteen  years.  Roanoke  Institute  of  Wilmington, 
North  Carolina,  numbers  Rev.  Smith  among  its  founders. 
He  organized  more  Sunday  Schools  than  any  other  man 
in  the  state  and  has  been  prominently  associated  with 
many  national  orders  and  religious  societies. 

At  present  Rev.  Smith  is  pastor  of  the  Mt.  Piszah 
Baptist  Church  in  Washington,  which  he  founded  in 
May,  1906. 

Smith,  Ezekiel  Ezra,  was  born  at  Mt.  Olive,  North 
Carolina,  May  23,  1852.  He  entered  Shaw  University 
and  graduated  in  1878  with  the  A.  B.  degree. 

He  began  life  as  a  journalist  but  later  became  principal 
of  the  State  Colored  Normal  School.  He  resigned  in 
1888  to  accept  a  federal  appointment  as  Minister  Resi- 
dent and  Consul-General  of  Liberia.  He  remained  in 


432  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

diplomatic  service  for  three  years  and  returned  to  the 
United  States  to  enter  into  business.  He  is  president  of 
the  Farmer's  and  Mechanic's  Building  and  Loan  Associ- 
ation and  the  Cape  Fear  Investment  Company. 
.  During  the  Spanish-American  War  he  was  regimental 
adjutant,  having  been  commissioned  in  1881  Major  of  the 
Fourth  Battalion,  N.  C.  State  Guard.  He  has  been  secre- 
tary of  the  Baptist  State  Convention  for  30  years. 
Shaw  University  conferred  upon  him  the  A.  M.  degree 
in  1881  and  the  Ph.  D.  degree  in  1892. 

Smith,  Robert  L.  was  born  in  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  January  8,  1861.  His  early  education  was  re- 
ceived in  Avery  Normal  Institute  and  South  Carolina 
University  and  Atlanta  University,  Atlanta,  Georgia. 

Leaving  school  Mr.  Smith  went  to  Texas  and  entered 
the  teaching  profession.  He  became  interested  in  the 
public  life  of  his  adopted  community  and  without  his 
knowledge  was  nominated  for  a  seat  in  the  Texas  Legis- 
lature. He  ran  for  the  office  and  not  only  won  but  was 
re-elected  the  following  term. 

While  teaching  in  Oakland  the  condition  of  the  farmers 
was  brought  to  his  notice.  Most  of  the  land  which  they 
owned  was  heavily  mortgaged  and  all  badly  in  debt.  In 
order  to  assist  these  farmers,  Mr.  Smith  organized  a 
Farmers'  Improvement  Society  which  undertook  to  buy 
and  distribute  farm  commodities  to  the  farmers  at  cost. 
In  addition  to  the  society  Mr.  Smith  has  also  established 
a  bank  and  a  school  for  the  benefit  of  the  farmers.  The 
bank  does  business  under  the  name  of  Farmers'  Improve- 
ment Bank  and  the  school,  the  F.  I.  S.  Agricultural 
College,  located  at  Landonia,  North  Texas.  He  also 
established  an  overall  factory.  Under  his  influence  the 
farmers  of  the  community  have  purchased  lands  to  the 
amount  of  80,000  acres  with  live  stock,  estimated  at 
$1,500,000. 


WHO'S  wno  IN  THE  NEGRO  RACE.  433 

Talbert,  Mary  Burnett,  born  at  Oberlin,  Ohio,  Sep- 
tember 17,  1863,  educated  at  Oberlin  College,  a  teacher, 
lecturer,  and  prominent  club  woman.  (See  writeup  on 
page  181.)  She  is  president  of  Empire  State  Federa- 
tion and  a  member  of  the  Household  of  Ruth  and  of  the 
Eastern  Star. 

Tanner,  Henry  Ossawa,  one  of  the  most  distinguished 
of  present  day  American  artists,  was  born  at  Pittsburgh, 
Pa.,  June  21,  1859;  son  of  Rt.  Rev.  Benjamin  T.  and 
Sarah  Elizabeth  (Miller)  Tanner.  He  was  married  in 
London,  England,  to  Jessie  Macauley,  of  San  Francisco, 
California,  December  14,  1899.  He  studied  in  the  Penn- 
sylvania Academy  of  Fine  Arts  under  Thomas  Eakins ; 
was  a  pupil  in  Paris  of  Jean  Paul  Laurens  and  Benjamin 
Constant. 

He  is  chiefly  a  painter  of  religious  subjects;  honorable 
mention  in  Salon,  Paris,  1896;  awards,  third  class  medal, 
1897;  second  class  medal,  1897;  won  Walter  Lippincott 
prize  at  Philadelphia,  Pennsylvania,  and  Harris  prize, 
Chicago,  Illinois,  1900;  second  medal  at  Paris  Exposi- 
tion, 1900;  second  medal,  Pan-American  Exposition, 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.,  1901 ;  second  medal,  Louisiana  Purchase 
Exposition,  St.  Louis,  Missouri,  1904.  Represented  with 
paintings  in  the  Luxembourg,  the  Wilstach  Collection, 
Carnegie  Institute  at  Pittsburgh,  Pennsylvania  Academy 
of  Fine  Arts,  and  Art  Institute  of  Chicago ;  sold  the 
famous  painting,  "Raising  of  Lazarus,"  to  Luxembourg 
Galleries.  He  is  a  member  of  many  National  and  Inter- 
national Art  Societies. 

Terrell,  Mary  Clmrch,  born  Memphis,  Tennessee,  A. 
B.  and  A.  M.  degrees  at  Oberlin  College,  teacher  of  for- 
eign languages  in  the  colored  High  School  in  Washing- 
ton. Mrs.  Terrell  was  president  of  the  National 

28 


434  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

Association  of  Woman's  Clubs  for  three  consecutive 
terms,  and  of  the  Bethel  Literary  Association  of  Wash- 
ington. She  is  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Education  of 
the  District  of  Columbia.  (See  Chapter  X.) 

Terrell,  Robert  Herbertson,  was  born  in  Orange 
county,  Va.,  November  25,  1857.  He  entered  Harvard 
University  and  graduated  with  the  degree  of  A.  B.  in 
1884. 

Judge  Terrell  began  life  as  a  teacher  in  the  public 
schools  of  Washington,  D.  C,  in  1884,  and  five  years 
later  was  appointed  principal  of  the  high  school.  While 
engaged  in  the  teaching  profession  he  studied  law  at 
Howard  Law  School  and  received  his  LL.  B.  degree  in 
1889.  For  four  years  subsequent  to  his  graduation  from 
the  law  school  he  held  an  official  position  in  the  Treasury 
Department.  In  1893  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar  of  the 
District  of  Columbia  and  entered  immediately  into  the 
practice  of  law  with  John  M.  Lynch  as  a  partner.  He 
was  appointed  a  Civil  Magistrate  in  1902  and  seven  years 
later  Judge  of  the  Municipal  Court  of  the  District  of 
Columbia.  The  appointment  was  made  by  President 
Roosevelt  and  subsequently  by  Taft  and  Wilson.  He  is  a 
member  of  the  Sigma  Pi  Phi  and  a  past  grand  master  of 
the  Masons. 

Tobias,  Channing  Higgle,  was  born  at  Augusta, 
Georgia,  February,  1882.  He  received  his  A.  B.  degree 
from  Paine  College,  Augusta,  Ga.,  in  1902,  and  matric- 
ulated subsequently  in  Drew  Theological  Seminary, 
Madison,  N.  J.,  in  1905,  and  later  pursued  summer 
courses  at  the  University  of  Pennsylvania.  He  was  called 
back  to  his  Alma  Mater  to  teach  Biblical  literature.  He 
served  in  that  capacity  for  six  years.  From  1911  he  has 
devoted  his  time  and  energy  in  developing  the  Colored 
Branch  of  the  International  Y.  M.  C.  A.  He  has  served 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  4S5 

on  the  most  important  committees  of  the  organization. 
He  was  appointed  secretary  in  191 1 ;  delegate  to  the  Inter- 
national Convention  in  1907,  in  Cincinnati,  Ohio,  in  1913, 
World's  Students'  Christian  Federation  Conference ; 
Executive  Secretary  Negro  Christian  Student  Conven- 
tion in  1914;  member  of  the  Executive  Committee 
Federal  Council  of  Churches  in  America. 

Mr.  Tobias  is  one  of  the  national  organizers  of  the 
organization  and  devotes  his  time  to  the  school  associ- 
ations. Mr.  Tobias  has  served  as  teacher  of  colored 
secretaries  in  Chesapeake  Summer  School  and  was  one 
of  the  conductors  of  the  Negro  Student  Conference  at 
Kings  Mountain  in  1912  and  1913.  • 

Tompkins,  George  Ricks,  was  born  in  Rochester, 
New  York,  October  23,  1881.  He  attended  the  public 
schools  of  Buffalo,  graduating  from  the  high  school  in 
1900.  He  matriculated  in  the  Engineering  School  of 
Cornell  University,  Ithaca,  N.  Y.,  and  graduated  with 
the  degree  of  Engineer  in  1907. 

He  began  in  the  plant  of  George  N.  Pierce  &  Co., 
manufacturers  of  the  Fierce-Arrow  Automobiles  and 
became  assistant  foreman.  He  became  connected  with 
the  Erie  Railroad  in  the  Buffalo  Division  as  machinist  in 
1903.  In  1907  he  was  Engineer  of  Road  Tests  for  that 
company.  In  1908  he  resigned  his  position  with  the  Erie 
Railroad  Company  to  become  director  of  the  mechanical 
department  of  the  Agricultural  and  Mechanical  College, 
Greensboro,  N.  C.  He  held  this  position  for  two  years 
and  resigned  to  accept  a  position  as  instructor  of  Mech- 
anical Engineering  at  Wilberforce  University,  Ohio. 

Trotter,  William  Monroe,  was  born  in  Springfield 
township,  Ohio,  April  7,  1872.  He  received  his  A.  B. 
degree  at  Harvard  in  1895,  and  his  M.  A.  degree  in  1896. 

Mr.  Trotter  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  Negro  students 


436  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

who  graduated  from  this  classic  institution.  As  an  under- 
graduate he  was  elected  to  the  Phi  Beta  Kappa  fratern- 
ity, the  honor  organization  of  the  leading  white  institu- 
tions of  learning.  Mr.  Trotter,  unlike  the  average  Negro 
graduate,  selected  a  field  after  his  graduation  in  which 
he  could  express  the  sentiments  of  his  oppressed  race. 
Having  felt  keenly  the  vicious  thrust  of  race  prejudice  he 
turned  to  journalism  as  the  most  effective  means  to  com- 
bat the  evil.  In  1901  he  established  The  Boston  Guard- 
ian, a  weekly  paper  to  enlighten  the  public  on  the  evil  of 
race  prejudice  and  the  suffering  of  his  people.  He  pos- 
sesses the  qualities  of  true  leadership  in  that  he  is  sacri- 
ficing everything  in  order  to  serve  his  people.  Mr. 
Trotter's  ability  could  easily  win  for  him  an  easy  berth  by 
compromising  the  cause  of  his  race.  But  he  has 
steadfastly  refused  to  be  bought  either  in  cold  cash  or 
through  appointment  to  a  political  berth. 

Mr.  Trotter  may  be  classified  as  a  radical  reformer. 
He  is  identified  with  all  radical  movements  and  organ- 
izations which  have  for  their  purpose  the  absolute 
emancipation  of  his  people.  He  is  the  president  of  the 
New  England  Suffrage  League,  a  member  of  the  National 
Independent  Equal  Rights  League  and  was  spokesman 
for  the  latter  organization  when  its  delegates  waited  on 
Woodrow  Wilson  November  6,  1913,  to  present  its 
grievance.  He  was  again  spokesman  for  that  organization 
the  following  year,  November  12,  1914.  His  reply  to  the 
President  was  so  pointed  that  he  notified  the  delegation 
that  no  audience  will  be  granted  it  in  the  future  if  Mr. 
Trotter  continued  as  its  spokesman.  The  affair  became 
a  national  event,  at  least  for  a  day,  and  the  press  of  the 
country  was  divided  on  the  issue. 

During  the  World  War  Mr.  Trotter  made  several  at- 
tempts to  secure  a  passport  to  go  to  France  but  the  State 


1.  WILLIAM  ROBERT  VALENTINE. 

2.  VICTOR  HUGO  TULANE. 


3.  CHARLES  VICTOR   ROMAN. 

4.  HON.  ROBERT  L.  SMITH. 


438  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

Department  refused  him  one.  Trotter-like  he  secured 
passage  on  a  tramp  ship  as  a  kitchen  hand  and  eventually 
landed  in  France.  He  tried  to  secure  an  interview  with 
Mr.  Wilson  but  it  was  denied  him.  Returning  to  the 
United  States  Mr.  Trotter  disclosed  the  gross  irregular- 
ities in  the  Negro  Units  and  the  concerted  action  of  the 
white  officers  to  discredit  the  achievements  of  the  Negro 
officers  as  well  as  soldiers. 

Mr.  Trotter  occupies  a  unique  place  in  the  race  for 
Negro  leadership.  In  the  first  place  he  is  not  a  white 
man's  appointed  leader ;  in  the  second  place  he  has  no  ax 
of  his  own  to  grind,  and  in  the  third  place,  he  is  actuated 
by  a  motive  which  is  pure,  unselfish,  altruistic  and 
humanitarian. 

Tulane,  Victor  H.,  was  born  in  Wetumpka,  Alabama, 
in  1873,  on  a  farm.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  and  his 
mother  moved  to  Montgomery  where  by  dint  of 
perseverance  of  both  mother  and  son  they  managed  to 
save  a  small  sum  of  money  which  they  invested  in  a  small 
grocery  concern.  The  same  tenacity  which  characterized 
the  efforts  of  Mr.  Tulane  to  save  his  first  $100.00,  kept 
him  at  the  business  even  when  failure  seemed  inevitable, 
and,  as  it  often  happens,  his  efforts  have  been  crowned 
with  success.  The  two-story  modern  brick  building  which 
stands  at  the  corner  of  South  Ripley  and  High  streets  is 
the  unequivocal  testimony  of  the  man's  success.  From  a 
shanty  with  hardly  $100.00  worth  of  stock  has  grown 
this  modern  grocery  store  with  several  thousand  dollars 
worth  of  groceries. 

Mr.  Tulane  is  also  interested  in  other  activities.  He 
owns  real  property  in  the  city  of  Montgomery,  and  at  one 
time  was  prominently  connected  with  the  Montgomery 
Penny  Savings  Bank.  Other  activities  with  which  he  is 
identified  are:  Honorary  Member  of  the  Montgomery 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  439 

Chamber  of  Commerce,  a  member  of  the  Board  of  Trus- 
tees of  Tuskegee  Institute,  member  of  the  Executive 
Committee  of  the  National  Negro  Business  League  and 
member  of  the  Swayne  School  Board. 

Turner,  Dr.  Charles  Henry,  was  born  in  Cincinnati, 
Ohio,  February  3,  1867.  He  received  his  academic  degree 
(B.  S.)  from  the  University  of  Cincinnati  in  1891  and  the 
the  degree  of  M.  A.  from  that  same  institution  in  1892. 

Dr.  Turner  entered  the  teaching  profession  at  the  age 
of  twenty-one  as  public  school  teacher  at  Evansville, 
Indiana.  In  1899  he  was  substituting  in  the  public 
schools  of  Cincinnati.  He  served  on  the  faculty  in  the 
University  of  Cincinnati  and  in  Clark  University,  At- 
lanta, Georgia. 

Dr.  Turner's  fame  as  a  biologist  is  nation-wide.  la 
1907  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philosophy 
from  the  University  of  Chicago.  He  has  made  a  number 
of  original  contributions  in  the  field  of  biology.  Among 
a  few  of  them  are :  "Ecological  Notes  on  the  Cladocera 
and  Copepoda  of  Augusta,  Ga.,"  "Morphology  of  the 
Nervous  System  of  the  Genus  Cypris,"  "The  Mushroom 
Bodies  of  the  Crawfish,"  "Experiments  on  the  Color 
Vision  of  the  Honey  Bee,"  "Behavior  of  the  Common 
Roach,"  etc.  He  holds  membership  in  the  following 
societies :  Academy  of  Science  of  St.  Louis,  Sigma  Chi, 
Sema  Pi  Phi,  Academy  of  Science  of  Illinois,  Entomo- 
logical Society  of  America. 

Tyler.  Ralph  W.,  was  born  at  Columbus,  Ohio,  and 
received  his  preparatory  and  literary  training  in  the  pub- 
lic schools  of  Columbus.  After  the  completion  of  his 
high  school  course  he  received  an  appointment  on  the 
reporting  staff  of  the  Columbus  Evening  Despatch,  and 
served  on  that  daily  for  seventeen  years,  rising  from  a 
reporter  to  the  position  of  assistant  to  the  manager  and 


440  I'Kor.KKSS    OF    A    RACE. 

confidential  secretary  of  the  publisher.  Mr.  Tyler  severed 
his  business  relation  with  the  Columbus  Evening  Des- 
patch to  join  the  Ohio  State  Journal,  another  white 
daily,  on  the  staff  of  which  he  served  three  years. 

Mr.  Tyler's  work  on  these  papers  did  not  go  unnoticed, 
for  President  Roosevelt,  in  looking  for  a^  capable  man  to 
fill  the  vacancy  which  occurred  in  the  Auditor's  Depart- 
ment for  the  U.  S.  Navy,  selected  him  to  fill  that  position. 
That  was  in  1905,  but  Mr.  Roosevelt's  term  ended  in 
1908;  however,  Mr.  Taft,  his  successor,  reappointed  him 
to  that  position  in  recognition  of  his  ability.  He  held  the 
position  of  auditor  of  the  U.  S.  Navy  until  1913. 

Mr.  Tyler  became  publicity  agent  for  Mr.  Emmet  J. 
Scott,  when  the  latter  was  filling  the  place  of  assistant 
to  the  Secretary  of  War,  and  was  subsequently  sent  to 
France  as  the  official  reporter  of  the  government.  He 
was  assigned  to  the  sector  where  the  92nd  Division  was 
operating  and  the  stories  of  this  Negro  division  in  action 
coming  from  his  pen  are  a  veritable  literary  treat.  Re- 
turning from  France  Mr.  Taylor  took  to  the  platform 
which  a  propaganda  of  the  Bourbon  white  officers  was 
seeking  to  tarnish.  So  far,  Mr.  Tyler  has  been  the  only 
Negro  journalist  who  has  been  regularly  employed  on  a 
white  daily  in  his  state. 

Valentine,  William  Robert,  was  born  in  Loudon 
county,  Virginia,  October  7,  1879.  He  entered  Harvard 
at  his  graduation  from  high  school  and  received  the  A.  B. 
degree  in  1904. 

Mr.  Valentine  began  life  as  a  teacher  and  principal  in 
the  public  schools  of  Indianapolis,  Indiana,  becoming 
later  the  supervising  principal  of  Public  School  No.  26. 
While  serving  in  that  capacity  he  made  a  number  of  in- 
novations to  the  school  which  elicited  favorable  comment 
from  John  Dewey,  of  Columbia  University,  in  his 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  441 

"Schools  of  Tomorrow."  In  1915  he  was  called  to  fill 
the  position  of  principal  of  Bordentown  Industrial 
School,  New  Jersey,  and  is  still  holding  that  position. 

Vernon,  William  Tecumseh,  was  born  at  Lebanon, 
Mo.,  July  n,  1871.  He  attended  the  public  schools  of 
Missouri  and  Lincoln  Institute,  Jefferson  City,  Mo. 
From  the  latter  institution  he  received  the  degree  of 
Bachelor  of  Didactics. 

He  began  life  as  a  public  school  teacher  in  Missouri 
and  was  called  to  Western  University,  Quinndaro,  Kan- 
sas, in  1896  as  the  head  of  the  institution.  Under  his 
regime  the  school  was  renovated  and  its  status  raised 
and  the  equipment  and  student  body  were  materially  in- 
creased. In  1906  he  was  appointed  Registrar  of  the 
Treasury  by  Mr.  Roosevelt.  He  continued  in  the  posi- 
tion until  1910  when  he  resigned  to  take  up  educational 
work  in  the  South.  He  was  elected  to  the  presidency  of 
Campbell  College,  Jackson,  Mississippi. 

In  recognition  of  his  service  to  the  race  and  the  nation, 
Lincoln  Institute  conferred  upon  him  the  M.  A.  degree 
and  Wilberforce  University  the  D.  D.  and  LL.  D.  de- 
grees. He  was  ordained  a  minister  in  the  A.  M.  E. 
Church. 

Vodery,  Will  Henry  Bennett,  was  born  in  Philadel- 
phia, Penn.,  Oct.  8,  1885.  He  graduated  from  the  Central 
High  School  in  1902,  and  entered  the  Hugh  A.  Clark 
University,  in  Pennsylvania,  where  he  studied  music 
under  Louis  Koemmenick,  Grand  Director  of  the  Univer- 
sity of  Leipsic. 

Mr.  Vodery  may  be  called  with  safety  a  musical  genius 
for  at  the  age  of  nine  he  was  the  pianist  of  his  Sunday 
School  and  four  years  later  we  find  him  holding  the 
position  of  church  organist.  His  accomplishment  at  this 
tender  age  marked  him  out  as  a  prospective  musician  of 
high  caliber. 


442  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE 

Mr.  Vodery  has  written  many  successful  song  hits  and 
musical  comedies  among  the  most  popular  being  "After 
The  Ball  Was  Over,"  "The  Time,  Place,  and  Girl,"  "Me 
Hun  and  I,"  "'Oyster  Man,"  and  "Saucy  Maid."  He 
has  traveled  extensively  in  this  country  and  in  Europe, 
and  at  one  time  was  custodian  for  the  famous  Theodore 
Thomas  Orchestra  in  Chicago. 

Walker,  Charles  T.,  born  Hephzibah,  Louisiana,  Feb- 
ruary 5,  1858,  LL.  D.,  Augusta  Institute,  (Moorehousc 
College)  1877,  D.  D.  State  University,  Louisville,  Ky., 
pastored  Franklin  Covenant  Baptist  Church,  LaGrange 
Baptist  Church,  Tabernacle  Church,  Augusta,  Mount 
Olivet  Baptist  Church,  New  York  City,  founded  La- 
Grange  Academy,  the  Old  People's  Home,  Augusta,  and 
Colored  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  New  York  City. 

Dr.  Walker  was  a  chaplain  in  the  United  States  Army 
in  Cuba  in  1898.  His  eloquence  has  won  for  him  the 
title  of  the  "Black  Spurgeon." 

He  married  Miss  Violet  Franklin  in  1879,  and  has, 
three  living  children. 

Walker,  Madam  C.  J.,  was  born  at  Delta,  La.,  Decem- 
ber 23,  1867.  At  the  age  of  six  her  parents  died  and  she 
was  sent  to  Vicksburg,  Miss.,  to  live  with  her  sister.  It 
is  said  that  the  inhospitality  of  her  sister's  husband 
forced  her  into  an  early  marriage  at  the  age  of  fourteen 
years.  Six  years  after  her  marriage  her  husband  died 
and  she  and  her  daughter,  Leila,  went  to  St.  Louis,  Mo., 
to  live.  Even  in  those  days  Madam  Walker  found  that 
the  problem  of  caring  for  a  home  and  a  daughter  was 
a  vexing  one,  but  by  dint  of  perseverance  she  was  able, 
not  only  to  keep  her  home  together,  but  to  send  her 
daughter  to  Fisk  University,  Nashville,  Tenn.  It  was  while 


WHO'S    WHO   IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  443 

she  was  over  her  wash  tub  engaged  in  the  grim  busi- 
ness of  making  a  living,  that  an  inspiration  came  to  her, 
one  which  she  was  not  slow  in  capitalizing.  It  is  said  that 
she  dreamt  of  a  formula  whereby  human  hair  could  be 
made  to  grow  and  become  straight.  The  formula  was 
prepared  and  she  experimented  on  herself  and  daughter. 
The  result  was  satisfactory,  so  far  as  she  was  concerned, 
and  she  undertook  to  convince  the  world  of  the  efficacy 
of  her  preparation.  Her  first  attempt  was  made  in 
Denver,  Colorado,  and  after  many  unpleasant  experiences 
finally  convinced  her  people  of  the  virtue  of  her  prepar- 
ation. She  decided  to  broaden  her  sphere  of  activity  and 
started  out  to  introduce  her  preparation.  She  traveled 
for  two  years  touching  practically  every  city  in  this 
country  and  overcoming  the  natural  prejudices  of  the 
people.  She  finally  settled  down  in  Pittsburgh,  Penn., 
in  1908.  Eventually  she  established  a  successful  mail 
order  business  and  moved  to  Indianapolis,  Ind.,  in  1910. 
Success  did  not  shut  her  eyes  to  greater  possibilities  for 
her  ware.  She  took  advantage  of  every  opportunity 
which  presented  itself  and  had  the  satisfaction  to  see  her 
business  and  her  preparation  become  an  international 
affair.  In  New  York  she  found  a  lucrative  field  for  her 
product  and  she  established  a  branch  of  her  business 
there.  She  built  a  home  and  an  office  in  West  I36th 
street,  which  drew  the  attention  of  the  daily  papers  of 
that  metropolis  and  the  New  York  Times  found  it  neces- 
sary to  depart  from  its  Anti-Negro  tradition  to  give  her 
and  her  business  a  space  in  its  Sunday  Magazine  section. 
Two  years  ago  Madam  Walker  purchased  a  property  at 
Irvington  on  the  Hudson,  and  erected  for  herself  a  ver- 
itable mansion.  The  company  of  which  she  was  presi- 
dent was  incorporated  for  $10,000,  and  her  weekly  in- 
come before  her  death,  which  occurred  Sunday,  May  25, 


444  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

1919,  amounted  to  $1000.  Madam  Walker  was  not  only 
an  enterprising  woman  but  she  was  also  a  philanthropist. 
She  was  giving  liberally  to  every  worthy  Negro  endeavor, 
especially  to  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  and  Y.  W.  C.  A.  She  con- 
tributed $1000  to  the  building  fund  of  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  of 
Indianapolis,  Ind.,  and  contributed  annually  to  the 
national  organization.  She  maintained  an  industrial 
school  in  Africa  before  her  death.  Her  fortune,  at  her 
death,  was  estimated  at  $1,000,000. 

Warfield,  Dr.  William  A.,  was  born  at  Hyattstown, 
Montgomery  county,  Maryland,  Nov.  17,  1866.  He  re- 
ceived his  early  training  in  Baltimore,  Md.,  from  which 
institution  he  graduated  in  1890.  He  entered  Howard 
University  Medical  School  and  graduated  with  the  degree 
of  M.  D.  in  1894. 

He  received  an  appointment  as  interne  in  the  Freed- 
man's  Hospital  in  1894-5.  He  was  then  appointed 
second  assistant  surgeon  and  a  year  later  first  assist- 
ant surgeon.  He  held  this  position  until  1901  when  he 
was  appointed  Surgeon  in  Chief  of  the  Hospital  and 
Professor  of  Abdominal  Surgery  at  Howard  University. 

Dr.  Warfield  has  made  a  number  of  valuable  contri- 
butions to  the  field  of  surgery.  Although  not  so  famous 
as  his  former  chief,  Dr.  Dan  Williams  of  Chicago,  his 
experiences  in  ihis  field  have  helped  considerably  to 
ameliorate  human  suffering. 

Dr.  Warfield  is  a  member  of  a  few  select  scientific 
societies  among  which  are :  The  American  Hospital  As- 
sociation ;  National  Medical  Association ;  Medico-Chir- 
urgical  Society  of  the  District  of  Columbia.  He  is  also  a 
member  of  the  Board  of  Children's  Guardians  in  the 
District  of  Columbia. 

Washington,  Dr.  Booker  T.,  was  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  most  remarkable  figures  which  the  nineteenth  cen- 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  445 

tury  produced'.  Born  a  slave,  he  lived  to  become  the 
confidential  adviser  of  two  Republican  presidents  (Mr. 
Roosevelt  and  Mr.  Taft),  on  matters  appertaining  to  his 
race.  A  great  deal  of  publicity  was  given  to  an  incident 
in  the  latter  part  of  his  life  in  which  Mr.  Roosevelt,  then 
president,  entertained  him  at  luncheon  at  the  White 
House. 

As  an  authority  on  industrial  education  for  Negroes, 
perhaps  he  had  no  equal.  Himself  a  product  of  that 
type  of  education,  he  had  great  faith  in  it  as  the  best 
measure  to  insure  the  economic,  political  and  social 
emancipation  of  his  people. 

Dr.  Washington  had  a  genius  for  organizing  and 
among  the  many  organizations  which  took  shape  under 
his  hand  is  the  Negro  Business  League,  one  of  the 
strongest  Negro  organizations  in  this  country. 

In  addition  to  his  numerous  responsibilities  Dr.  Wash- 
ington found  time  to  devote  to  the  pursuit  of  literature. 
He  is  the  author  of  several  volumes  on  contemporaneous 
Negro  life,  two  of  which  are  devoted  to  the  exposition  of 
incidents  of  his  wonderful  life.  Among  his  literary 
works  are  "Up  from  Slavery,"  "My  Larger  Education," 
"The  Story  of  My  Life  and  Work,"  and  numerous 
articles  which  he  contributed  to  national  periodicals. 

Dr.  Washington  was  a  born  leader.  Nowhere  was 
this  peculiar  talent  of  his  brought  out  more  clearly  than 
in  his  relationship  with  the  white  men  of  the  South.  Per- 
haps one-third  of  the  men  of  his  own  race  who  followed 
him  did  not  believe  in  his  policies,  yet  he  was  able  to  hold 
them  together  and  whenever  it  was  necessary,  he  secured 
their  support  to  his  program.  His  influence  among  the 
whites  of  the  South  was  not  less  far-reaching.  White 
men  and  women  from  far  and  near  laid  aside  their  busi- 
ness of  the  day  to  listen  to  Washington,  as  he  discussed 
topics  familiar  to  them  because  of  constant  repetition. 


446  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Washington,  Mrs.  Margaret  J.  Murray,  was  born  at 
Macon,  Ga.,  March  9,  1865.  She  received  her  prepar- 
atory school  training  in  Macon,  and  later  went  to  Fisk 
University  for  her  more  advanced  work.  She  received 
her  A.  B.  degree  in  1889.  At  the  completion  of  her  col- 
lege course  at  Fisk  University,  Mrs.  Washington  was 
called  to  the  English  department  of  Tuskegee  and  later 
became  the  dean  of  women,  and  director  of  girls'  indus- 
tries at  Tuskegee.  In  1892,  she  married  Booker  T. 
Washington,  the  organizer  and  principal  of  Tuskegee 
Institute.  Her  marriage  to  the  principal  of  the  institution 
did  not  curtail  her  activities.  On  the  contrary  she  has 
used  her  position  to  broaden  her  sphere  of  influence  both 
in  the  institution  and  in  the  community. 

Mrs.  Washington  was  appointed  chairman  of  the  ad- 
visory board  of  the  Boys'  Reformatory  at  Meigs,  Ala- 
bama, by  Governor  Emmet  Oneal.  Her  activities  at 
Tuskegee  have  not  kept  her  from  taking  part  in  other 
phases  of  worthy  endeavors.  She  has  been  president  of 
the  Alabama  State  Federation  of  Colored  Women's  Clubs, 
the  president  of  the  National  Federation  of  Colored 
Women's  Clubs.  She  has  established  Mothers'  Clubs. 
Open  Air  Sunday  Schools,  in  fact,  she  is  a  distinct  social 
asset  to  the  community.  The  death  of  her  illustrous  hus- 
band has  left  her  to  carry  on  the  good  work  single- 
handed.  Three  children  were  born  to  the  Washington  s. 
They  are  Portia,  Ernest  D.  and  Booker  T.,  Jr. 

Wheatley,  Phillis,  born  in  Africa,  brought  to  the 
United  States  in  1761.  She  was  bought  from  the  slave 
market  by  John  Wheatley  of  Boston  16  months  after  her 
arrival  in  America.  She  was  able  to  read  English 
fluently.  She  became  a  poetess,  visited  England  where 
she  was  received  by  the  nobility.  In  America  she  was  the 
guest  of  George  Washington  for  a  short  time  at  the 
Revolutionary  Headquarters. 


\VHO\S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  447 

Wheaton,  Frank  J.,  was  born  at  Hagerstown,  Mary- 
land, May  8,  1866.  He  studied  law  at  Howard  Univer- 
sity, Washington,  D.  C,  and  left  to  enter  the  University 
of  Minnesota.  From  the  latter  institution  he  received 
his  Bachelor  of  Law  degree  in  1894,  with  the  honor  of 
being  the  orator  of  his  class. 

Mr.  Wheaton  began  his  practice  of  law  in  Hagerstown, 
his  place  of  nativity,  but  moved  to  Minneapolis,  Minn.,  to 
become  clerk  of  the  Municipal  Court.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  of  Minnesota  in  1898- 
1900.  He  subsequently  moved  to  New  York  and  was 
admitted  to  the  bar. 

He  is  a  member  of  the  Bar  Association  of  New  York 
City  and  was  the  Grand  Exalted  Ruler  of  Elks  of  the 
World  for  two  years.  Mr.  Wheaton  is  undoubtedly  one 
of  the  most  successful  lawyers  of  his  race.  In  politics  he 
is  a  Republican.  He  has  been  a  delegate  to  the  National 
Convention  three  times. 

White,  Clarence  Cameron,  was  born  at  Clarksville, 
Tennessee,  August  10,  1879.  He  attended  Howard  Uni- 
versity where  he  received  his  literary  training  and  Ober- 
lin  Conservatory  of  Music,  Ohio.  He  received  private 
instruction  from  such  masters  as  S.  Coleridge  Taylor, 
London,  England,  and  M.  Zacharewitsch. 

Before  going  to  England,  Mr.  White  was  engaged  for  a 
year  as  teacher  of  music  in  the  public  schools  of  Washing- 
ton, D.  C.  From  1908-10  he  was  first  violinist  in  the 
String  Players  Club,  London,  England.  Since  1912  he 
has  been  engaged  as  violin  soloist  and  teacher  of  the  in- 
strument in  Boston,  Mass.  In  1913  he  became  the  direc- 
tor of  the  Victorian  Concert  Orchestra. 

Mr.  White  has  a  number  of  musical  comoositions  to 
his  credit,  among  them  are,  "A  Comic  Opera,"  and  "Im- 
provisation." 


448  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

Williams,  Dr.  A.  Wilberforce,  was  born  in  Monroe. 
Louisiana,  January  31,  1864.  At  the  age  of  twelve  his 
family  moved  to  Springfield,  Missouri,  and  there  for  the 
first  time  he  had  an  opportunity  to  attend  school.  That 
was  in  1876.  In  1881  he  obtained  a  license  and  was  teach- 
ing in  Vernon  county,  Mo.  He  matriculated  in  the 
Normal  Department  of  Lincoln  Institute,  Jefferson,  Mis- 
souri, and  at  his  graduation  entered  seriously  into  the 
business  of  teaching. 

Having  decided  to  study  medicine  he  matriculated  at 
Northwestern  University  Medical  School,  Chicago,  Illi- 
nois, and  graduated  in  the  spring  of  1884.  He  soon  be- 
came identified  with  Provident  Hospital,  Chicago,  as  a 
member  of  its  staff  as  a  physician  and  later  as  attending 
physician  to  Provident  Hospital  Dispensary  and  the 
Municipal  Tuberculosis  Dispensary.  Dr.  Williams  is  a 
specialist  in  the  internal  treatment  of  heart  disease  and 
tuberculosis  and  as  a  professor  in  the  Post  Graduate- 
Department  of  Provident  Hospital  he  devotes  his  time 
solely  to  this  subject.  He  has  contributed  a  number  of 
articles  on  the  care  and  treatment  of  tubercular  patients. 
An  article  on  "Tuberculosis  and  the  Negro,"  prepared 
for  the  Mississippi  Conference  on  Tuberculosis  appeared 
in  the  "Journal  of  Outdoor  Life"  for  February,  1915. 

Dr.  Williams  is  the  Health  contributing  editor  of  the 
Chicago  Defender  and  in  addition  he  is  connected  with 
numerous  organizations,  among  them  are :  National  Medi- 
cal Association,  American  Medical  Association,  Illinois 
State  Medical  Association,  the  Chicago  Medical  Society, 
Robert  Koch  Society  for  the  Study  and  Prevention  of 
Tuberculosis,  Frederick  Douglass  Center,  Social  Service 
and  Appomattox  Clubs. 

During  the  war  Dr.  Williams  rendered  singular  service 
to  the  government.  He  was  a  member  of  the  Advisory 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  449 

Board  of  the  Chicago  Local  Exemption  Board,  Chairman 
of  the  Second  Ward  Committee  of  the  Fourth  Liberty 
Loan  and  Chairman  of  the  Committee  of  Physicians  of 
the  Red  Cross  Home  Service  Medical  Section. 

Williams,  Bert,  was  born  in  New  Providence,  Nassau, 
British  Bahama  Islands.  His  parents  came  to  the  United 
States  when  he  was  two  years  old  and  settled  in  New 
York.  He  graduated  from  the  Riverside  High  School 
in  due  time  and  set  out  for  San  Francisco,  California, 
where  he  intended  to  pursue  a  course  in  civil  engineering. 
Before  matriculating  in  any  school  he  met  and  joined  a 
company  of  young  men  who  were  going  to  try  their  hands 
in  the  local  theatrical  business.  They  toured  the  lumber 
and  mining  camps  of  the  California  frontier.  It  was 
while  he  was  engaged  in  this  venture  that  it  dawned  upon 
him  that  he  might  successfully  pursue  a  theatrical  career. 

He  came  into  contact  with  George  Walker,  a  clever 
comedian,  and  formed  a  partnership  with  him  under  the 
name  of  Williams  and  Walker  Co.  The  cleverness  and 
the  high  class  quality  of  their  performances  won  for  them 
national  recognition.  The  death  of  his  partner  left  him 
alone  to  face  the  world.  Being  confident  that  his  indi- 
vidual work  was  a  drawing  card  he  refrained  from  form- 
ing another  alliance.  At  first  theatrical  managers  were 
reluctant  in  billing  him,  but  the  high  class  quality  of  his 
work  soon  removed  all  barriers  and  Bert  Williams  became 
one  of  the  idols  of  the  stage.  For  many  years  Bert  Wil- 
liams and  the  Follies  were  synonymous  terms  to  theatre- 
goers. He  sang  .for  the  Victor  and  other  talking  machine 
companies.  He  died  suddenly  in  New  York,  March  4, 
1922,  of  pneumonia,  leaving  a  widow  and  no  children. 

Williams,  Dr.  Dan  Hale,  was  born  in  Hollidaysburg, 
Penn.,  January  18,  1858.  He  matriculated  in  the  medical 
school  of  Northwestern  University  and  graduated  in 


450  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

1883.  At  his  graduation  he  was  appointed  a  demonstrator 
in  anatomy  at  Northwestern,  a  position  which  he  held 
for  four  years. 

Dr.  Williams  has  served  in  the  capacity  of  a  surgeon  on 
the  staff  of  the  following  institutions:  South  Side  Dis- 
pensary, Protestant  Orphan  Asylum,  Chicago,  Illinois ; 
Surgeon  in  Chief  Freedman's  Hospital,  Washington,  D. 
C.  (1893-98),  Professor  of  Clinical  Surgery  at  Meharry 
Medical  School,  Nashville,  Tennessee. 

To  Dr.  Williams  is  due  the  credit  of  establishing  a 
nurses  training  school  and  intern  system  in  The  Freed- 
men's  Hospital.  He  established  Provident  Hospital, 
Chicago,  and  became  the  attending  surgeon.  He  was  the 
first  surgeon  successfully  to  perform  an  operation  on  the 
human  heart. 

He  received  the  LL.  D.  degree  from  Wilberforce  Uni- 
versity in  1909.  He  served  as  a  member  of  the  Illinois 
State  Board  of  Health  for  four  years  (1887-91).  He 
has  been  a  fellow  of  the  American  College  of  Surgeons 
since  1913.  His  success  has  been  heralded  by  the  entire 
medical  world. 

Williams,  L.  K.,  born  Eufaula,  Ala.,  A.  B.,  Bishop  Col- 
lege, and  Arkansas  Baptist  College,  D.  D.,  Selma  Uni- 
versity. In  1894  started  to  teach  and  preach  in  a  circuit 
of  Texas  churches.  He  has  organized  fourteen  churches 
and  taken  14,748  people  into  the  Baptist  Church.  lie 
has  been  a  member  of  the  Illinois  Race  Commission, 
S.  S.  Publishing  Board,  Vice  President  National  Baptist 
Convention  of  America,  President  State  Baptist  Con- 
vention. 

Dr.  Williams  is  now  pastor  of  the  Olivet  Baptist 
Church  in  Chicago,  the  largest  protestant  church  in 
America,  with  eight  paid  workers,  10,012  members  and 
property  valued  at  $250,000.00. 


1.  MONROE  N.  WORK.  3-     CHARLES  WINTER  WOOD. 

2.  RICHARD   ARNETT   WILLIAMS.  4-     WILLIAM   TAYLOR   WILLIAMS. 

5.       A.      WlLBERFORCE     WlLLlAMS. 


452  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Williams,  Dr.  Richard  Arnett,  was  born  in  Forest 
City,  Arkansas,  September  13,  1879.  He  received  his 
training  in  Arkansas  Baptist  College  in  Little  Rock, 
Arkansas,  and  graduated  in  1896.  He  entered  Meharry 
Medical  College  and  graduated  from  that  institution  with 
the  M.  D.  degree. 

Dr.  Williams  settled  in  Knoxville,  Tennessee,  after  his 
graduation  and  began  the  practice  of  medicine.  In  1905, 
however,  he  moved  to  Helena,  Arkansas,  and  again  took 
up  the  practice  of  medicine.  Moved  by  the  desire  to 
assist  the  needy  sick  and  the  widows  and  their  depen- 
dents, Dr.  Williams  organized  and  chartered  an  organ- 
ization called  the  Royal  Circle  of  Friends  of  the  World 
in  1909,  which  is  fraternal  and  benevolent.  In  addition  to 
that  he  has  published  a  newspaper  known  as  the  "Royal 
Messenger,"  the  organ  of  the  organization.  The  success 
of  the  society  is  assured  since  it  has  filled  a  long  felt 
need  of  the  poorer  class  of  people.  Because  of  the 
tremendous  amount  of  business  which  the  organization 
is  doing  Dr.  Williams  was  forced  to  give  up  part  of  his 
practice  as  a  physician  to  devote  himself  to  it. 

Williams,  William  Taylor  Burwell,  was  born  in 
Stoneridge,  Clarke  county,  Virginia,  fifty  years  ago.  1 1  is 
early  education  was  received  at  Hampton,  Virginia,  and 
at  Andover,  Mass.  He  matriculated  at  Harvard  and 
graduated  in  1897. 

Five  years  later  Hampton  Institute  appointed  him  field 
agent  of  the  institution  and  the  Southern  Education 
Board.  His  familiarity  with  Negro  education  recom- 
mended him  to  the  General  Education  Board;  the 
John  E.  Stater  Fund  and  the  Jeanes  Fund,  organizations 
which  are  interested  in  Negro  education,  and  he  was 
made  their  field  agent,  with  headquarters  at  Hampton 
Institute.  His  headquarters  are  now  at  Tuskegee  Insti- 
tute, Alabama. 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  453 

It  is  safe  to  say  that  there  is  not  a  phase  of  Negro 
education  with  which  Mr.  Williams  is  not  familiar. 
However,  he  devotes  more  of  his  time  in  promoting  in- 
dustrial education  in  private  schools  and  colleges  of  the 
South.  He  is  identified  with  all  educational  movements 
especially  those  that  vitally  interest  Negroes.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  National  Association  of  Teachers  in 
Colored  Schools,  of  which  he  was  president  for  two 
terms ;  Virginia  State  Teachers'  Association ;  Negro  Or- 
ganization Society  of  Virginia,  and  the  National  Edu- 
cational Association.  During  the  war  he  served  in  a 
supervisory  capacity  of  the  Committee  of  Education  and 
Special  Training  of  the  War  Department  in  connection 
with  Negro  schools.  Mr.  Williams  is  also  an  associate 
editor  of  the  Cyclopedia  of  the  Colored  Race,  the  first 
volume  of  which  appeared  in  1919. 

Wood,  Charles  Winter,  was  born  in  Tennessee,  De- 
cember 17,  1870.  He  received  a  part  of  his  public  school 
training  in  Tennessee,  and  while  still  young,  moved  to 
Chicago  and  drifted  into  the  boot-blacking  business  for  a 
living.  At  this  early  age  he  had  learned  and  cultivated  a 
taste  for  Shakespeare,  which  during  his  spare  moments 
he  recited  for  the  entertainment  of  a  few.  He  was  ac- 
customed to  recite  Shakespeare  for  the  entertainment  of 
his  clients  and  it  was  in  this  manner  that  the  attention  of 
the  great  Gaumsarlens  was  attracted  to  him.  He  became 
interested  in  the  lad  and  assisted  him  to  go  to  school. 

From  the  public  school  he  went  to  Beloit  College  where 
he  received  his  A.  B.  degree.  He  matriculated  in  the 
Divinity  School  of  Chicago  University  and  received  his 
B.  D.  degree.  Desiring  to  equip  himself  more  thoroughly. 
he  entered  the  graduate  school  of  Columbia  University 
and  from  that  institution  received  his  M.  A.  degree.  His 
graduation  from  the  Saper  School  of  Oratory  may  be 
mentioned  here. 


454  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

Mr.  Wood's  career  is  a  peculiar  one.  Beginning  as  a 
stage  actor  he  ended  by  becoming  a  minister  of  the 
church,  a  teacher  and  the  publicity  manager  of  Tuskegee 
Institute.  He  was  engaged  by  Booker  T.  Washington  to 
teach  English  and  Public  Speaking  but  this  great  organ- 
izer soon  found  that  his  services  could  be  utilized  to 
better  advantage  in  the  field  to  win  sympathizers  for 
Tuskegee.  He  was  commandeered  by  the  government 
during  the  war  to  help  to  disseminate  proper  information 
among  the  people. 

Woodson,  Carter  Goodwin,  was  born  in  New  Canton. 
Virginia,  December  19,  1875.  He  matriculated  in  Berea 
College,  Kentucky,  and  received  his  L.  B.  degree  in  1903. 
He  spent  some  time  traveling  in  England  and  Asia,  and 
pursued  courses  of  study  in  the  University  of  Paris, 
France.  Returning  to  America  Doctor  WToodson  entered 
the  University  of  Chicago  where  he  earned  the  A.  B.  and 
A.  M.  degrees.  He  subsequently  entered  the  graduate 
school  of  Harvard  and  in  1912  received  the  Ph.  D.  degree. 
Dr.  Woodson  began  his  teaching  career  as  the  principal  of 
the  Douglass  High  School  in  West  Virginia,  serving 
afterwards  as  supervisor  of  schools  in  the  Philippines 
from  1903-6. 

At  the  reorganization  of  Howard  University,  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  Doctor  Woodson  was  called  to  the  dean- 
ship  of  the  college  department.  He  is  editor  of  the 
Journal  of  Negro  History  and  the  Director  of  Research, 
The  Association  for  the  Study  of  Negro  Life  and  His- 
tory, etc. 

Doctor  Woodson  holds  membership  in  the  following 
organizations :  American  Historical  Association,  Ameri- 
can Negro  Academy,  and  the  Mu-so-hit  Club.  He  is  the 
author  of  "The  Education  of  the  Negro  Prior  to  1861," 
"Disruption  of  Virginia  and  a  Century  of  Negro  Migra- 
tion." 


WHO'S    WHO    IN    THE    NEGRO    RACE.  455 

Work,  Monroe  Nathan,  was  born  in  Iredell  county, 
North  Carolina,  August  15,  1866.  In  1895  he  entered  the 
Chicago  Theological  Seminary  and  graduated  in  1898. 
At  the  completion  of  his  theological  course  he  matricul- 
ated in  the  college  department  of  the  University  of  Chi- 
cago and  in  1902  received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of 
Philosophy  and  a  year  later  the  degree  of  Master  of  Arts 
in  Sociology. 

Mr.  Work  entered  the  teaching  profession  after  his 
graduation  first  as  professor  of  history  and  education  in 
the  Georgia  State  Industrial  College.  In  1908  he  was 
called  to  Tuskegee  Institute  to  take  over  the  department 
of  statistics  and  research.  He  is  due  the  credit  for  the 
recording  and  publication  of  the  yearly  lynching  statistics. 
The  Negro  Year  Book  which  is  published  at  Tuskegee  is 
edited  by  Mr.  Work.  This  book  chronicles  the  events 
which  affect  the  life  of  the  Negro  from  all  angles.  He 
contributes  articles  of  a  sociological  as  well  as  historical 
nature  to  the  "Southern  Workman,"  "The  Survey,"  and 
the  "Annals  of  American  Academy  of  Political  and 
Social  Science." 

Mr.  Work  is  identified  with  the  following  societies: 
The  American  Sociological  Society,  The  American  Eco- 
nomic Association,  The  National  Economic  League,  The 
American  Negro  Academy,  The  National  Geographical 
Society,  The  Southern  Sociological  Congress  and  The  As- 
sociation for  the  Study  of  Negro  Life  and  History. 

Wright,  Herbert  Richard,  is  an  lowan  by  birth.  He 
was  educated  in  the  public  and  secondary  schools  of 
Iowa.  He  entered  the  law  department  of  the  State  Uni- 
versity and  graduated  with  the  degree  of  LL.  B.  in  1901. 

He  began  the  practice  of  law  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa,  and 
continued  until  January  13,  1909,  after  which  he  was 
appointed  United  States  Consul  at  Puerto  Cabello, 
Venezuela. 


456  PROGRESS   OF   A    RACE. 

Mr.  Wright  resigned  in  1913,  returning  home  and 
established  a  real  estate  business  in  Des  Moines,  Iowa. 
During  the  war  he  was  appointed  director  of  the  Negro 
Army  Club  in  Des  Moines. 

Wright,  Richard  Robert,  Jr.,  was  born  at  Cuthbert, 
Ga.,  April  i,  1878.  He  received  his  B.  A.  degree  from 
the  Georgia  State  Industrial  College  in  1898,  and  the 
M.  A.  degree  in  1901.  He  also  completed  the  Normal 
course  of  that  institution  with  high  honors.  At  the  com- 
pletion of  his  course  of  study  at  the  Georgia  State  College 
he  matriculated  in  the  University  of  Chicago,  received  his 
B.  A.  degree  in  1901,  A.  M.  in  1904  and  the  Ph.  D.  degree 
from  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  in  1911.  Dr.  Wright 
enjoys  the  rare  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  very  few 
Negro  intellectuals  to  have  pursued  courses  of  study  in 
the  Universities  of  Germany.  He  was  a  student  in  the 
University  of  Berlin  in  1903,  and  of  Leipsic  in  1904.  A 
number  of  academic  honors  have  been  thrust  upon  him. 

Returning  from  Germany  he  was  awarded  a  Research 
Fellowship  in  Sociology  in  the  University  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, 1905-06,  and  a  Special  University  Fellowship  in 
that  same  institution,  1906-08. 

Dr.  Wright  is  a  minister  of  the  A.  M.  E.  Church,  hav- 
ing been  licensed  to  preach  in  1899,  and  ordained  deacon 
September,  1900,  and  a  year  later  he  was  ordained  an 
elder  of  the  church.  He  has  pastored  in  a  number  of 
communities,  among  them  Chicago,  Elgin,  Illinois,  and 
the  University  of  Pennsylvania,  Pennsylvania.  He  has 
held  several  positions  of  honor  in  his  church.  He  was 
editor  of  the  Christian  Recorder ;  a  member  of  the  Gen- 
eral Conference  and  delegate  to  the  Ecumenical  Con- 
ference, Toronto,  Canada,  in  1911. 

If  there  were  no  other  proof  of  Dr.  Wright's  intellec- 
tual capacity  the  number  of  literary  societies  in  which  he 


DR.    R.    R.    WRIGHT,   PRESIDENT,   GEORGIA    COLLEGE 


458  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

holds  membership  would  attest  this  fact.  He  holds 
membership  in  the  following  organizations :  American 
Academy  of  Political  and  Social  Sciences ;  American 
Negro  Historical  Society ;  American  Negro  Academy ; 
National  Association  of  Teachers  in  Negro  Schools ; 
Sigma  Pi  Phi. 

Dr.  Wright  numbers  among  his  literary  productions  the 
following:  "The  Negro  in  Pennsylvania,"  "The  Negro 
Problem,"  "Teaching  of  Jesus."  His  articles  and  studies 
have  appeared  in  the  leading  periodicals  of  the  country 
and  in  the  reports  of  the  United  States  Bureau  of  Labor. 
Other  activities  with  which  he  has  been  identified  and  is 
still  identified  are :  Clerk,  Paymaster's  Department,  U.  S. 
Army  1898,  Secretary  People's  Saving  Banks,  1908-1911, 
President  Eighth  Ward  Settlement  Building  and  Loan 
Association,  Philadelphia,  Penn.,  Trustee  Wilberforce 
University  and  Payne  Theological  Seminary ;  Spring 
Street  Social  Settlement ;  The  Association  for  the  Pro- 
tection of  Colored  Women ;  National  Association  for  the 
Advancement  of  Colored  People  ;  Director  of  Exhibits  for 
the  Emancipation  Proclamation  Exposition  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, 1913;  Professor  of  Hebrew  and  of  Greek,  Wilber- 
force University. 

Yerby,  William  James,  was  born  in  Arkansas,  Sep- 
tember 22,  1869.  His  preparatory  training  was  received 
in  his  native  state  and  his  Bachelor  of  Arts  degree  from 
Roger  W7illiams  University,  Nashville,  Tenn.  He  entered 
Meharry  Medical  College,  Nashville,  and  received  his 
M.  D.  degree. 

Dr.  Yerby  began  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Memphis, 
Tennessee,  immediately  after  his  graduation.  His  name 
was  suggested  to  President  Roosevelt  when  he  was  look- 
ing for  a  man  to  represent  the  United  States  in  Sierra 
Leone,  \Vest  Africa,  and  he  appointed  him  United  States 
Consul  in  1906,  and  he  has  been  in  that  position  since. 


COL.     CHARLES     YOUNG,    U.    S.    A.,    RETIRED. 

The  highest  ranking  Negro  officer  in  the  United  States  Army. 

Colonel   Young  was   recently  appointed    Military 

Attache  at  Liberia. 


460  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

Young,  Colonel  Charles,  was  born  in  the  state  of  Ken- 
tucky a  little  over  forty  years  ago.  Colonel  Young  has 
the  distinction  of  being  one  of  the  three  Negro  graduates 
from  West  Point,  the  United  States  Military  Academy. 
Colonel  Young  graduated  from  West  Point  in  the  spring 
of  1889,  and  was  commissioned  to  the  Tenth  Cavalry,  a 
Negro  unit.  The  Colonel's  daring  and  efficiency  exhibited 
both  on  the  battle  field  in  time  of  war,  and  in  time  of 
peace,  won  for  him  coveted  military  promotions.  He 
served  with  distinction  in  the  Spanish-American  W;ir, 
where  his  regiment  rescued  Colonel  Theodore  Roosevelt's 
"Rough  Riders"  from  complete  annihilation,  as  well  as  in 
the  campaign  against  Villa,  the  Mexican  revolutionist. 
When  the  United  States  was  forced  into  the  World  War, 
the  military  authorities  forced  him  into  retirement  under 
pretense  of  physical  disability — a  weak  heart.  Sub- 
sequent expert  examination,  however,  revealed  the  fact 
that  Colonel  Young  was  in  excellent  condition  and  fit  for 
active  service.  The  situation  was  brought  to  the  attention 
of  the  public  and  the  pressure  of  public  opinion  was 
brought  to  bear  upon  the  administration  and  the  Colonel 
was  called  to  active  duty  during  the  latter  part  of  the 
war,  and  assigned  to  Camp  Grant,  Illinois. 

Colonel  Young  has  served  as  instructor  of  military 
science  and  tactics  at  Wilberforce  University,  Ohio,  and 
also  in  the  Republic  of  Liberia.  He  was  appointed  Mili- 
tary Attache  to  Liberia.  In  the  Philippines  he  acquitted 
himself  with  honor  and  credit  to  his  country.  Colonel 
Young  was  the  highest  ranking  Negro  officer  in  the 
United  States  Army. 

Colonel  Young  died  in  Lagos,  Southern  Nigeria,  Jan- 
uary 10,  1922,  of  Blackwater  fever,  the  result  of  his  par- 
ticipation in  a  very  dangerous  reconnaissance.  He  left  a 
widow  and  two  children. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

PLANTATION  MELODIES. 

INCIDENTS,   EXPERIENCES  AND  PLEASANTRIES. 

Hampton  and  Its  Students. — For  many  years  tht 
Hampton  school  has  been  making  an  effort  to  preserve 
and  collect  the  spiritual  songs  of  the  Negroes  in  Amer- 
ica, and  to  give  to  its  students  so  great  a  love  for  these 
beautiful  utterances  of  the  emotions  of  an  enslaved  and 
deeply  religious  race  that  they  would  strive  as  they 
went  out  to  gather  up  and  preserve  a  form  of  emotional 
expression  only  too  likely  to  pass  away  in  the  transition 
period  through  which  the  colored  people  are  now  pass- 
ing. So  impossible  is  it  to  reproduce  this  music  under 
changed  conditions  that  there  is  danger  lest  even  where 
both  words  and  music  are  preserved,  the  spirit  which 
gives  it  its  peculiar  charm  may  be  lost  forever.  The 
educated  Negro  cannot  sing  the  old  songs  as  his  father 
sang  them.  He  may  yet  evolve  a  higher  and  nobler 
music  of  his  own,  but  the  old  spirituals,  squeezed  as 
it  were  out  of  the  human  heart  by  the  pressure  of  slav- 
ery, are  a  part  of  his  history  that  he  cannot  afford  to 
lose — a  breaking  forth  from  bondage  of  that  thing  which 
could  never  be  enslaved,  the  genius  of  >a  race. 

Hampton  and  its  students  have  done  more  to  pre- 
serve Negro  melodies  than  any  other  agency. 

The  following  are  a  few  of  the  many  songs  that  might 
be  given.  Most  of  them  are  taken  from  the  Hampton 
collection, 

461 


462  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

THE   ANGELS   DONE   CHANGED  MY  NAME. 
"  I  went  to  the  hillside,  I  went  to  pray; 

I  know  the  angels  done  changed  my  name — 
Done  changed  my  name  for  the  coming  day; 

I  knew  the  angels  done  changed  my  name. 

"  I  looked  at  my  hands,  my  hands  was  new, 

I  Knew  the  angels  done  changed  my  name; 
I  looked  at  my  feet,  and  my  feet  was,  too — 
Thank  God  the  angels  done  changed  my  name. ' ' 

While  the  Negro  brought  out  from  bondage  no  liter- 
ature and  no  theology,  yet  he  did  bring  with  him  the 
plantation  songs  which  show  in  Christian  song  that 
the  doctrines  of  Christianity  were  held  by  these  people 
in  the  days  of  slavery.  We  cannot  expect  to  find  the 
same  modes  of  expression  now  that  prevailed  among 
them  while  in  slavery,  but  that  they  held  to  the  funda- 
mental truths  of  religion  must  be  recognized  by  all  who 
study  these  songs.  That  they  believed  in  Christ  as  a 
Savior  from  sin  and  in  the  Atonement  is  beautifully 
illustrated  in  the  refrain — 

"  I've  been  redeemed!     I've  been  redeemed! 
Been  washed  in  de  blood  ob  de  lamb." 

The  Divinity  of  Christ  is  shown  in — 

"  Jus"  stan"  right  still  and  steady  yo'self : 

I  know  that  my  Redeemer  lives. 
Oh,  jus'  let  me  tell  yo'  about  God  hisself : 
I  know  that  my  Redeemer  lives." 

At  Tougaloo,  Mississippi,  they  sing  a  hymn  which 
especially  emphasizes  the  personality  of  Satan,  which, 
it  seems,  they  never  doubted — 

•'  Ole  Satan  he  wears  de  hypocrite  shoe ; 
If  yo'  don'  rain'  he  slip  it  on  yo'." 

Frederick  Douglass  says  that — 

"  Run  to  Jesus,  shun  the  danger, 
I  don't  expect  to  stay  much  longer  here." 


PLANTATION    MfcLODlfcS.    ETC.  463 

sung  on  the  plantation  where  he  was  a  slave,  first  sug- 
gested to  him  the  thought  of  escaping  from  slaver}-,  or, 
as  he  put  it,  '*  Praying  with  his  feet. " 

While  their  lives  were  full  of  misery  on  account  of 
the  oppressions  of  their  masters,  their  songs  do  not 
show  anywhere  a  revengeful  spirit.  They  looked  for- 
ward with  confidence,  expecting  to  be  relieved  in  the 
land  of  the  redeemed 

"  Shine,  shine,  I'll  meet  you  in  that  morning, 
Oh,  my  soul's  gom'  to  shine,  to  shine: 
I'm  goin'  to  sit  down  to  a  welcome  table-  - 
Shine,  shine,  my  soul's  goin'  to  shine." 

SWING  LOW.  SWEET  CHARIOT. 

Oh,  de  good  ole  chariot  swing  so  low. 

Good  ole  chariot  swing  so  low, 

Oh,  de  good  ole  chariot  swing  so  low, 

I  don't  want  to  leave  me  behind. 
Chorus. — Oh,  swing  low,  sweet  chariot. 
Swing  low,  sweet  chariot, 
Swing  low,  sweet  chariot^ 
1  don't  want  to  leave  me  behind. 

Oh,  de  good  ole  chariot  will  take  us  all  home, 
I  don't  want  to  leave  me  behind. 

Cho. — Oh,  swing  low,  sweet,  etc. 

\ 

THE   DANVILLE  CHARIOT. 

Chorus. — Oh,  swing  low,  sweet  chariot, 
Pray  let  me  enter  in, 
I  don't  want  to  stay  here  no  longer. 

I  done  been  to  heaven,  an'  I  done  been  tired, 
I  been  to  the  water,  an'  I  been  baptized — 

I  don't  want  to  stay  no  longer. 
O,  down  to  the  water  I  was  led, 
My  soul  got  fed  with  heav'nly  bread — 

I  don't  want  to  stay  here  no  longer. 
Cho. — Oh,  swing  low,  sweet  chariot,  etc. 


PLANTATION  MELODIES,  ETC.  465 

I  had  a  little  book,  an*  I  read  it  through, 
I  got  my  Jesus  as  well  as  you; 

Oh,  I  got  a  mother  in  the  promised  land. 
1  hope  my  mother  will  feed  clem  lambs — 

I  don't  want  to  stay  here  no  longer. 
Cho. — Oh,  swing  low,  sweet  chariot,  etc. 

Oh,  some  go  to  church  for  to  holler  an'  shout, 
Before  six  months  they're  all  turned  out— 

I  don't  want  to  stay  here  no  longer. 
Oh,  some  go  to  church  for  to  laugh  an'  talk, 
but  dey  knows  nothin'  'bout  dat  Christian  walk— 

I  don't  want  to  stay  here  no  longer. 
Cho. — Oh,  swing  low,  sweet  chariot,  etc. 

Oh,  shout,  shout,  de  deb'l  is  about; 
Oh,  shut  your  do'  an*  keep  him  out— 

I  don't  want  to  stay  here  no  longer. 
For  he  is  so  much-a  like-a  snaky  in  de  grass, 
Et  you  don'  mind  he  will  get  you  at  las'— 

I  don't  want  to  stay  here  no  longe' 
Cho.— Oh,  swing  low,  sweet  chariot,  etr 

VIEW  DE  LAND. 

I'm  born  of  God,  1  know  I  am — View  de  land,  view  de  land1 
And  you  deny  it  if  you  can — Go  view  de  heav'nly  land. 
I  want  to  go  to  heaven  when  I  die — View  de  land,  view  de  land! 
To  shout  salvation  as  I  fly — Go  view  de  heav'nly  land. 

Chorus. — 

Oh,  'way  over  Jordan — View  de  land,  view  de  land! 
'Way  over  Jordan — Go  view  de  heavenly  land.        ; 

What  kind  of  shoes  is  dem-a  you  wear?    View  de  land,  etc. 
Dat  you  can  walk  upon  the  air?    Go  view,  etc. 
Dem  shoes  I  wear  are  de  Gospel  shoes — View  the  land,  etc. 
An'  you  can  wear  dem  ef-a  you  choose — Go  view,  etc. — Cho. 

Der*  is  a  tree  in  paradise — View  the  land,  etc. 

De  Christian  he  call  it  de  tree  ob  life — Go  view,  etc. 

I  spects  to  eat  de  fruit  right  off  o'  dat  tree — View  de  land,  etc. 

Ef  busy  old  Satan  will  let-a  me  be — Go  view,  etc. — Cho. 

You  say  yer  Jesus  set-a  you  free — View  de  land,  etc. 
Why  don't  you  let-a  your  neighbor  be?    Go  view,  etc. 
30 


466  PROGRESS    OK    A    KACE. 

You  say  you're  aiming  for  de  skies — View  de  land,  etc. 
Why  don't  you  stop-a  your  telling  lies?    Go  view,  etc. — Cho. 

OH,   YES. 

Ef  eber  I  land  on  de  oder  she' — Oh,  yes ! 
I'll  neber  come  here  for  to  sing  no  more — Oh,  yes! 
A  golden  band  all  round  my  waist, 
An'  de  palms  of  victory  in  my  hand, 
An'  de  golden  slippers  on  to  my  feet — 
Gwine  to  walk  up  an"  down  o'  dem  golden  street 

Chorus. — Oh,  wait  till  I  put  on  my  robe — 

Wait  till  I  put  on  my  robe.     Oh,  yes!     Oh,,  yes'- 

An',  my  lobely  bretherin,  dat  ain't  all — Oh,  yes 

I'm  not  done  a-talkin'  about  my  Lord. 

An'  a  golden  crown  a-placed  on-a  my  head, 

An'  my  long  white  robe  a-come  a-dazzlin'  down ; 

Now  wait  till  I  get  on  my  Gospel  shoes, 

Gwine  to  walk  about  de  heaven  an'  a-carry  de  news. — Cho. 

I'm  anchored  in  Christ,  Christ  anchored  in  me — Oh,  yes! 

All  de  debils  in  hell  can't  a-pluck  me  out; 

An*  I  wonder  what  Satan's  grumbling  about 

He's  bound  into  hell,  an'  he  can't  git  out, 

But  he  shall  be  loose  and  hab  his  sway — 

Yea,  at  de  great  resurrection  day. — Cho. 

I  went  down  de  hillside  to  make  a-one  prayer — Oh,  yes ! 

An'  when  I  got  dere  Ole  Satan  was  dere — Oh,  yes  I 

An'  what  do  you  t'ink  he  said  to  me?    Oh,  yes! 

Said,  "Off  from  here  you'd  better  be."     Oh,  yes! 

And  what  for  to  do  I  did  not  know — Oh,  yes! 

But  I  fell  on  my  knees  and  I  cried  'Oh,  Lord!' — Oh,  yes! 

Now,  my  Jesus  bein'  so  good  an'  kind, 

Yea,  to  the  with-er-ed,  halt,  and  blind — 

My  Jesus  lowered  His  mercy  down. 

An'  snatch-a  me  from  a-dera  doors  ob  hell. 

He  a-snatch-a  me  from  dem  doors  ob  hell, 

An'  took-a  me  in  a-wid  him  to  dwell. — Cho. 

I  was  in  de  church  an'  prayin'  loud. 
An'  on  my  knees  to  Jesus  bowed ; 
Ole  Satan  tole  me  to  my  face 


PLANTATION    MELODIES,    ETC.  467 

"  I'll  git  you  when-a  you  leave  dis  place." 

Oh,  brother,  dat  scare  me  to  my  heart, 

I  was  'fraid  to  walk-a  when  it  was  dark. — Cho. 

I  started  home,  but  I  did  pray. 

An'  I  met  ole  Satan  on  de  way ; 

Ole  Satan  made  a-one  grab  at  me, 

But  he  missed  my  soul  an'  I  went  free. 

My  sins  went  a-lumberin'  down  to  nell, 

An'  my  soul  went  a-leaping  up  Zion's  hill. 

I  tell  ye  what,  bretherin,  you'd  better  not  laugh, 

Ole  Satan'll  run  you  down  his  path ; 

If  he  runs  you  as  he  run  me 

You'll  be  glad  t<f  fall  upon  your  knee. 

Chorus. — Oh,  wait  till  I  put  on  my  robe. 

Wait  till  I  put  on  my  robe — Oh,  yes!    Oh,  yes! 

MY  LORD  DELIVERED   DANIEL. 
I  met  a  pilgrim  on  de  way, 
An'  I  ask  him  whar  he's  a  gwine. 
I'm  bound  for  Canaan's  happy  land, 
An'  dis  is  de  shouting  band.     Go  on ! 
Chorus. — My  Lord  delibered  Daniel, 
My  Lord  delibered  Daniel, 
My  Lord  delibered  Daniel — 
Why  can't  he  deliber  me? 
Some  say  dat  John  de  Baptist 
Was  nothing  but  a  Jew ; 
But  de  Bible  doth  inform  us 
Dat  he  was  a  preacher,  too. — Yes,  he  was! 
Chorus. — My  Lord  delibered  Daniel,  etc. 
Oh,  Daniel  cast  in  the  lions'  den, 
He  pray  both  night  and  day ; 
De  angel  came  from  Galilee, 
And  lock  de  lions'  jaw.     Dat's  so. 
Chorus. — My  Lord  delibered  Daniel,  etc. 
He  delibered  Daniel  from  de  lions'  den, 
Jonah  from  de  belly  ob  de  whale, 
An'  de  Hebrew  children  from  de  fiery  furnace— 
An'  why  not  ebery  man?    Oh,  yes! 
Chorus. — My  Lord  delibered  Daniel,  etc. 


468  PROGRESS    OF    A    RACE. 

De  richest  man  dat  eber  I  saw 
Was  de  one  dat  beg  de  most ; 
His  soul  was  filled  wid  Jesus, 
An'  wid  de  Holy  Ghost.     Yes,  it  was. 
Chorus. — My  Lord  delibered  Daniel,  etc. 

NOBODY  KNOWS  THE  TROUBLE  I'VE  SEEN. 
Sometimes  I'm  up,  sometimes  I'm  down — Oh,  yes,  Lord. 
Sometimes  I'm  almost  to  de  groun' — Oh,  yes,  Lord. 
Although  you  see  me  goin'  long  so — Oh,  yes,  Lord. 
I  have  my  trials  here  below. — Oh,  yes,  Lord. 
Chorus. — Oh,  nobody  knows  de  trouble  I've  seen, 

Nobody  knows  but  Jesus ; 

Nobody  knows  de  trouble  I've  seen — 

Glory  Hallelujah ! 

One  day  when  I  was  walkin*  along — Oh,  yes,  Lord. 
De  element  opened,  an'  de  love  came  down — Oh,  yes,  Lord. 
I  never  shall  forget  dat  day — Oh,  yes,  Lord. 
When  Jesus  washed  my  sins  away. — Oh,  yes,  Lord. 
Chorus. — Oh,  nobody  knows  the  trouble,  etc. 

HAIL  !    HAIL  !    HAIL  ! 
Oh,  look  up  yander,  what  I  see — 

I'm  on  my  journey  home; 
Bright  angels  comin'  arter  me — 

I'm  on  my  journey  home. 
Chorus. — Children,  hail !  hail !  hail  i 

I'm  gwine  jine  saints  above, 

Hail!  hail!  hail! 

I'm  on  my  journey  home. 

If  you  git  dere  before  I  do — 

I'm  on  my  journey  home ; 
Look  out  for  me,  I'm  comin'  too— 

I'm  on  my  journey  home. 
Chorus. — Children,  hail!  etc. 

Oh,  hallelujah  to  de  Lamb ! 

I'm  on  my  journey  home; 
King  Jesus  died  for  ebery  man— 

I'm  on  my  journey  home. 
Chorus. — Children,  hail!  etc. 


PLANTATION     MELODIES,    ETC. 


469. 


SCRIPTURAL   REMINISCENCES. 

Aunt  Pvtty:  "Bress  me,  Uncle  Abum,  ef  yer  doesn't  call  to 
mind  Baalam  gwine  down  ter  J'rusalem." 

Uncle  Abram  (with  a  weakness  for  Aunt  Patty):  "  Yaas,  and 
does  yer  'member  dar  stood  an  angel  in  de  way?  " 

WISE  SAYINGS— "  MULTUM  IN  PARVO." 
•'  Long  ha'r  don't  hide  de  brand  on  de  horse." 
"  Muddy  roads  call  de  mile-post  a  liar." 
"  'Tis  hard  to  make  clo'es  fit  a  miserbul  man." 
"  De  stopper  gits  de  longes'  res'  in  de  empty  jug." 
"  De  church  bells  sometimes  do  better  wuk  dan  de  sermon." 
"  Some  o*  de  wus  lookin'  animals  at  de  county  fa'r  got  to  pay 

to  get  in." 

"  De  price  ob  your  hat  ain't  de  medjer  ob  your  brain." 
"  Ef  your  coat-tail  cotch  a-fire,  don't  wait  till  you  kin  see  de 

blaze  'fo*  you  put  it  out." 

"  De  graveyard  is  de  cheapes*  boardin' -house." 
"  Dar's  a  fam'ly  coolness  'twix'  de  mule  an'  de  single-tree." 
"  It  pesters  a  man  dreadful  when  he  git  mad  an'  don'  know 

who  to  cuss." 

"  Buyin'  on  credit  is  robbin'  next  'ear's  crop." 
"  Chris'mas  without  holiday  is  like  a  candle  without  a  wick." 
41  Progress. 


470  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

"  De  crawfish  in  a  hurry  look  like  he  tryin*  to  git  dar  yistiddy." 

"  Lean  houn'  lead  de  pack  when  de  rabbit  in  sight." 

"  Little  flakes  make  de  deepes'  snow." 

"  Knot  in  de  plank  will  show  froo  de  whitewash." 

"  A  short  yardstick  is  a  po'  thing  to  fight  de  debbul  wid." 

"  Dirt  show  de  quickes'  on  de  cleanes'  cotton." 

"  De  candy-pullin'  kin  call  louder  dan  de  log-rollin'." 

"  De  bes'  apple  float  on  de  top  o'  de  peck  medjer. " 

"  De  right  sort  o'  'ligion  heaps  de  half-bushel." 

"  De  steel  hoe  dat  laughs  at  de  iron  one  is  like  de  man  dat  is 

shamed  o'  his  grand-daddy." 
"  A  mule  kin  tote  so  much  goodness  in  his  face  dat  he  don' I 

hab  none  lef  for  his  hind  legs." 
"  Some  grabble  walks  may  lead  to  de  jail." 
"  De  cow-bell  can't  keep  a  secret." 
' '  Ripe  apples  make  de  tree  look  taller. " 
"  De  red  rose  don't  brag  in  ue  dark." 
"  Blind  horse  knows  when  de  trough  empty." 
"  De  noise  of  de  wheels  don't  medjer  de  load  in  de  wagon- 
"  Las'  'ear's  hot  spell  cools  off  mighty  fast." 
"  Little  hole  in  your  pocket  is  wusser'n  a  big  one  at  de  kase." 
"  Appetite  don't  reggerlate  de  time  o'  day." 
"  De  quagmire  don't  hang  out  no  sign." 
"  One  pusson  kin  th'ead  a  needle  better  than  two.'' 
"  De  pint  o"  de  pin  is  de  easiest  en'  to  find." 
"  De  green  top  don't  medjer  de  price  o'  de  turnup." 
"  Muzzle  on  de  yard  dog  itnlocks  de  smokehouse." 
"  "Pis  hard  for  de  bes'  an'  smartes'  folks  in  de  wul*  to  git  'long 

widout  a  little  tech  o'  good  luck. ' ' 

"  De  billy-goat  gits  in  his  hardes'  licks  when  he  looks  like  he 

gwme  to  back  out  o'  de  fight." 

Miss  Anita  Hemming,  tall,  brunette,  and  graceful. 
,  was  one  of  the  graduates  at  Vassar  in  189 7,  and,  although 
the  world  did  not  know  it.  there  was  then  enacted  a 
great  scene,  showing  the  advance  of  woman  into  the 
life-giving  but  long-forgotten  precept  that  all  men  are 
born  free  and  equal.  This  young  woman,  who  stood 
side  by  side  with  her  classmates,  keeping  pace  with 
them  in  studies  and  accomplishments,  for  four  years 


472  PROGRESS   OF    A    RACE. 

kept  the  secret  of  her  birth  from  her  associates — the 
secret  that  blood  that  marks  a  race  of  slaves  flowed 
through  her  veins.  It  was  just  before  examination 
when  the  faculty,  to  their  utter  astonishment,  learned 
that  into  that  stately  and  exclusive  institution  an  alien 
race  had  gained  admission.  To  this  school  for  young 
ladies  of  the  highest  circle  of  society  this  modest, 
studious,  refined  young  lady  had  gained  admission 
without  making  known  the  secret  of  her  birth.  The 
question  for  the  faculty  to  decide  was  a  hard  one.  The 
girl,  in  deportment,  scholarship,  and  in  every  way, 
was  worthy,  but  yet  would  the  public  receive  the  inno- 
vation. After  due  consideration  the  young  woman, 
whose  only  fault  lay  in  the  accident  of  her  birth,  was 
informed  that  she  would  be  allowed  to  graduate  with 
her  class. 

Then  the  girls  of  the  finishing  class  heard  the  story. 
Some  of  them  were  from  the  proudest  old  families  of 
the  South,  but  they  took  her  hands  with  right  good 
comradeship,  and  the  real  ordeal  for  her  had  passed. 

Miss  Hemming  stood  among  her  associates  at  com- 
mencement in  her  simple  white  gown,  a  mark  for 
many  eyes.  Her  dark  hair,  with  its  burnished  waves, 
was  brushed  back  from  her  low,  broad  brow ;  a  deep 
flush  burned  in  her  cheeks,  and  she  was  fairer  than 
many  of  the  blue-blooded  girls  around  her.  Then 
she  went  out  into  the  world.  But  the .  attitude  taken 
by  Vassar's  august  faculty  could  not  be  ignored,  and 
the  young  alumnus  of  1897  gained  the  position  of 
assistant  in  the  Boston  public  library. 

Fred  Douglass. — In  the  course  of  an  address  made 
to  a  colored  school  in  Talbot  county,  Maryland,  where 
he  was  born  a  slave,  Frederick  Douglass  said:  "I  once 
knew  a  little  colored  boy,  whose  father  and  mother 


PLANTATION    MELODIES,     ETC.  473 

died  when  he  was  six  years  old.  He  was  a  slave,  and 
had  no  one  to  care  for  him.  He  slept  on  a  dirt  floor 
in  a  hovel,  and  in  cold  weather  would  crawl  into  a 
meal  bag,  headforemost,  and  leave  his  feet  in  the 
ashes  to  keep  them  warm.  Often  he  would  roast  an 
ear  of  corn  and  eat  it  to  satisfy  his  hunger,  and  many 
times  has  he  crawled  under  the  barn  or  stable  and 
secured  eggs,  which  he  would  roast  in  the  fire  and  eat. 

This  boy  did  not  wear  pants,  like  you  do,  but  a 
tow  linen  shirt.  Schools  were  tmknown  to  him,  and 
he  learned  to  spell  from  an  old  Webster's  spelling 
book,  and  to  read  and  write  from  posters  on  cellars 
and  barn  doors,  while  boys  and  men  would  help  him. 
He  would  then  preach  and  speak,  and  soon  became 
well  known.  He  became  presidential  elector,  United 
states  marshal,  United  States  recorder,  United  States 
diplomat,  and  accumulated  some  wealth.  He  wore 
broadcloth,  and  didn't  have  to  divide  crumbs  with  the 
dogs  under  the  table.  That  boy  was  Frederick 
Douglass. 

What  was  possible  for  me  is  possible  for  you. 
Don't  think  because  you  are  colored  you  can't  acconu 
plish  anything.  Strive  earnestly  to  add  to  your 
knowledge.  So  long  as  you  remain  in  ignorance,  so 
long  will  you  fail  to  command  the  respect  of  your  fel- 
low men. " 

Fred  Douglass. — Fred  Douglass  has  said  that  Presi- 
dent Lincoln  was  the  only  white  man  with  whom  he 
ever  associated  in  this  country  who  did  not  make  him 
feel  that  he  was  colored  and  a  supposed  inferior,  and 
that  only  in  England  and  on  the  continent  among  the 
Caucasians  had  he  been  permitted  to  realize  that  he 
was  a  man  and  an  equal. 

Everything  Must  Go. — In  a  lecture  by  Rev.  William 


4:7-1  PROGRESS   OF  A   RACE. 

Johnson,  illustrating  the  law  that  "everything  must 
go,"  he  gives  the  following:  "A  minister  told  me  that 
he  fell  in  love  with  his  wife  at  first  sight,  and  married 
after  six  months'  acquaintance.  'But,'  said  he,  'dur- 
ing that  whole  time  I  went  to  see  her  every  day.  At 
four  o'clock  I  was  always  there. '  Some  young  men 
do  not  choose  that  delightful  hour  to  visit,  but  go 
later.  One  young  man  lingered  at  the  gate  after  a 
long  visit,  and  the  girl  began  to  cry.  He  said,  'Dear, 
don't  cry;  I  will  come  to  see  you  again.'  But  she 
cried  on.  'O,  darling,  don't  cry  so;  I  will  be  sure  to 
come  again. '  Still  she  cried.  At  last  he  said :  'Love, 
did  I  not  tell  you  that  I  would  soon  come  again  to  see 
you?'  And  through  her  tears  she  replied:  'Yes,  but  I 
am  afraid  you  never  will  go ;  that  is  what  is  the  mat- 
ter with  me. '  We  must  all  go. " 

In  the  same  lecture  on  the  subject  of  practical  phil- 
osophy, he  gives  the  following: 

"Uncle  Jim  was  once  asked  a  great  question.  It 
was:  'If  you  had  to  be  blown  up  which  would  you 
choose,  to  be  blown  up  on  the  railroad  or  the  steam- 
boat?' 'Well,'  said  Uncle  Jim,  'I  don't  want  to  be 
blowed  up  no  way ;  but  if  I  had  to  be  blowed  up  I 
would  rather  be  blowed  up  on  de  railroad,  because, 
you  see,  if  you  is  blowed  up  on  de  railroad,  dar  you 
is,  but  if  you  is  blowed  up  on  de  steamboat,  whar  is 
you?'  He  was  practical  in  his  philosophy." 


INDEX 


American     Federation     of 

Labor  and  the  Negro... 

Africa,  Negro  for 

African    Union    M.    E. 

Protestant   

Aldridge,  Ira  

Alexander,   A.   A 

Allen,  B.  F 

Anderson,    Chas.    W 

Anderson,  Martha  B...207 
Anti-Slavery,  agitation,  73 ; 

societies,   76;   party,   77; 

women,  81 ;   orators.. 82, 

A.  M.  E.  Church 

A.  M.  E.  Zion  Church.... 
Atlanta  Baptist  Seminary. 

Atlanta  University 

Baker,  Newton  D 

Baldwin,  "Master"  

Ballard,  W.  H 

Bandera,  Quintin   

Banks,  Charles 258-259, 

Banks,  W.  R 

Bannecker,    Benj  amin ...  14- 

Baptists    

Baptist  Publishing  House. 

Barnett,  Ida  W 

Barreau,  J.   R 

Barrett,  Mrs.  Harris. ..... 

Bell,   Major  General 

Benedict  College  

Bethel  A.  M.  E.  Church... 

Bethune,  Mary  M 199- 

Beverley,   J 

Billups,  H.  L 

Binga,  Jesse   

Birney,  James  G 

Black  Colonials  

Black    Laws    in    Border 

States    

Blood,  of  one 

Blyden,  Doctor   

Bond,  Scott 333- 


Bowen,  Cornelia  179 

271  Bowen,  John  W 334-335 

31       Bowles,  Eva  D 335 

goyd,  R   H     334-336 

322      Boley,  Oklahoma   260 

329       Boyd  Building  240 

329  Brady,  Dr.  St.  E 337 

272  Brathwaite,  W.  S 337-34O 

330  Brauley,    Benjamin 338,340 

330  Brooks,  Walter  H 339 

Brooks,  W.  H 340-341 

Brown,  Charlotte  H 

85  179-191-199 

321  Brown,    Henry    Box,    His 

322  Escape  98-101 

350      Brown,  John 77-87 

303      Brown,  S.  J 342 

160      Bruce,   Blanche   K 342 

187      Bruce,  Josephine 179-191 

251       Bruce,  Roscoe  C 343 

132      Bruce,  N.  C 269 

331  Buchanan,  W.  S 344 

272      Burleigh,  H.  T 340-344 

•331       Burroughs,  Nannie 179,345 

319  Business    Progress    Statis- 

320  tics  231 

332  Butler,  General  1 16 

236      Bruneau,  P 180 

197       Calhoun,  Mrs.  W.  C 281 

164      Callioux,  Captain   121 

301       Camphor,   Bishop    334-346 

317       Canadian  Migration  .'. 169 

290  Carney,  Sergeant  Wm.  .118-120 

245       Carrothers,  James    D 346 

333  Carter,   Elizabeth    179-188 

230       Carter,  Edward  A 347 

77  Centerville    Industrial    In- 

150          stitute    291 

Chaplain,  VV.  L 90 

57      Chandler,  E.  M.  A 347 

13  Charles,  Sam   234 

14  Chestnut,  Chas.  W 348-358 

334  Chiles,  David  267 

475 


476 


INDEX. 


Church  Boards  and  Educa- 
tion      299 

Clinton,  George  W 313 

Clinton  A.  M.  E.  Church..  315 

Clay,  Cassius  M 77 

Coffin,  Levi  90 

Cohen,  Walter  L 145 

Coleman,  Julia 349 

Collins,  Cleota  183 

Color,  Theory  of 16 

Color,  Gradations  of 17 

Colored  M.  E.  Church 324 

Combs,  C.  P 261 

Caucasians  17 

Congregational   Methodists  325 

Conklin,  Seth  104 

Conrad,  G.  W.  B 349 

Cook,  W.  M 351 

Coppin,  Fannie   184 

Contents 7 

Cotter,   Joseph  S 351-353 

Cottrill,  Chas.  A 352 

County  Training  Schools . .  286 

Cox,  George  W 268 

Craft,  William  and  Ellen.   103 

Crabb,  Edward  J 354 

Craig,  A.  W 354 

Creditt,  Wm.  A 356 

Crogman,  W.  H 357-358 

Croix  de  Guerre 152-158 

Cummins,  N.  S 357 

Crowder,  Provost  General  164 
Curse,  theory  of,  14;  basis 

for  argument  15 

Cush   16 

Curtis,  Austin  M 359 

Davis,   M.   H 145 

Davis,  Benjamin  J 360-361 

Davidson,  Shelby  J 360 

Davidson,  Henry  D 272 

Daytona    Normal   and    In- 
dustrial Institute 283-290 

Decorations  for  Bravery..   158 
Delegates     to     Republican 

Convention    145 

Deportation  of  Negroes...     22 

Detroit  Colony 169 

Dett,  R.  N 362 

Dickerson,  Addie  N 200 


Diggs,  J.  R 363 

Discrimination   147-173 

Dogan,  M.  W 358-364 

Dorsey,  Rev.  Father 365 

Douglass,  J.  H 366 

Douglass,  Frederick,  quo- 
tations from  147 

Drink  Traffic   27 

DuBois,  W.  E.  B 366-367 

Dudley,  J.  B 358-368 

Dumas,  Alexander  14 

Dunbar,  Paul  L 369 

Dyson,  Walter  369 

Early  Churches  319 

Educational    Progress.  .272-303 

Educational  Meetings 299 

Education,  Negro 184 

Edwards,  Doctor    47 

Economic  Conditions  After 

the  War    270 

Ellis,  G.  W 370 

Elliott,  T.  J 360 

Eliminating  the  Color  Line 
in  the  American  Federa- 
tion of  Labor 270 

Emancipation  of  Slaves...     59 

Emma  Brick  Works 304 

Ethiopians  16 

Eustis,  Quotations  from..     69 

Ewing,  N.   P 262 

Fairbanks,  Calvin  89 

Favor,  S.  S 261 

Farmer,  J.  L 372 

Fidelity  of  the  Negro 36 

Fifty  Years  of  Progress  in 

Business  231 

First  Colored  Regiment...   120 

First  Research  Grant 302 

Fisk  University 292 

Floyd,  S.  X.... 373 

Fort  Wagner  1 18 

Folk  Songs   461-474 

French,  Clifton   373 

Friends  189 

Fugitive  Slave  Law 89-169 

Fuller,  Meta  V 374 

Furniss,  H.  W 374 

Furniss,  S.  A 375 

Garrett,  Thomas 


INDEX. 


477 


Garrison,  Wm.  Lloyd 

74,  75,  82,    85 

Gilbert,  John  W 376-377 

Gillian,  C.  W 262-263 

Goodwin,  Col.  C.  E 162 

Grandchildren  of   Slaves..     56 

Grant,  Gen.  U.  S in 

Gilpin,    Charles 270 

Greene,  Dorothy  H 185 

Greene,  B.  A 221-255 

Greene,  S.  W 377-378 

Green,  J.  P 376-377 

Greener,  R.  T 379 

Grimke,   A.   B 380 

Gunby,  Judge  24 

Hampton    Institute 293-461 

Hare,  Maude  C 381 

Harmon,  J.  H 377 

Harper,  Frances  E.  W 184 

Harrison,  Wm 377-382 

Hathaway,  I.  S 382 

Hayes,  Lemuel 385 

Hayes,  G.  E 386 

Hawkins,  M.  A 384-388 

Hawkins,  W.  E 385 

Hawkins,  W.  A 385 

Hayward,  Col.  Wm 151-154 

Hebrew    15 

Henry,  Mack   245 

Herodotus   16 

Heroism  of  the  Negro 69 

Higgins,  W.  J 145 

Holsey,  Albon  L 210 

Hope,   Mrs.  John 197 

Hope,  John   387,  388 

Hopkins,  Rev.  Dr 71 

Horn   *. 15-16 

Howard,  A.  C 247 

Hubbard,  W.  M 272 

Hudson,  Thomas 233 

Hudson,  H.  C ...388-389 

Hunter,  General  David.  108-109 

Indiana  Settlement  167 

Ingenuity  of  the  Negro 27 

Insurrection,  Negro 47 

Introduction   5 

Jackson,  R.  R 389,  397 

Jason,  W.  C 396 

James  &  Allen  Drug  Co 249 


Jeanes   Industrial  Fund . . .  275 

Jefferis,  J.  P 20 

Jeffery,  Major  66 

Johnson,  General  Ed 127 

Johnson,  Professor   18 

Johnson,  Private 158 

Johnson,  Fenton  390 

Johnson,  J.  W 391-392 

Johnson,  H.  L 392 

Johnson,  J.  R 392 

Jones,  Wm 97 

Jones,  Lawrence  C 295 

Jones,  E.  K 393 

Jones,  R.  E 394 

Jones,  Judge  S.  A 361,  395 

Jones,  Edward  P 323 

Japheth 15 

Josephus    10 

Josenberger,  Mrs 206,  207 

Just,  Dr.  E.  E 302,  395 

Kelly,  Henry 248 

Kemp,  W.  P 396-397 

Kenney,  J.  A 397-398 

Kerfoot,  Geo.  W 245' 

Kieth,  Green  245 

Kidnapping  40 

Knights  of  Columbus 156 

Knox,  G.  L 397 

Labor    Eliminates    Color 

Line 271 

Lane  College   288 

Laney,   Lucy  C 398 

Landmarks   in  Negro  En- 
terprise    233 

Lankford,  J.  A 399 

Laurens,  Colonel 71 

Lee,  J.  R.  E 400 

Left  to  Their  Fate 58 

Lewis,  Dr.  Julian 401 

Lewis,  P.  R 401 

Lewis,   W.   H 388,  402 

Liberia    28 

Lincoln,    Abraham. 42,  106,  117 
Livingston,  Doctor,  18;  his 

tomb  36,    37 

Locke,  A.  L 402 

Lovejoy,  E.  P 77 

Latimer,  L.  H 399 

Lundy,  Benjamin   74 


478 


INDEX. 


Lynching     173,  195 

Lyons,  E 403 

McCoo,  F.  A 404 

Mail  Rifling  85 

Malone,  Annie  M 201-202 

Mason,  J.  E 404 

Melden,  Charles  M 305 

Middle  Passage  41 

Migration,  Negro 167,  175 

Milliken's  Bend 120 

Miller,  J.  E 272 

Miller,  G.  F 405 

Miller,  Kelly 406 

Minton,  H.  M 408-409 

Mob  Riots  85 

Montgomery,  Q...2I,  256,  408 

Morgan,  G.  A 412 

Moorland,  J.  E 411 

Moore,  L.  B 409-410 

Morris  Brown  College 297 

Morris,  G.  A 412 

Morris,  E.  C 407,  412 

Mossell,  N.  F 413 

Moss,  Colonel   164 

Moten,  Lucy  H 189 

Moton,  R.  R.,  Frontispiece  414 
Mound  Bayou,  Miss. .  .251-258 
Mt.  Meigs  Reformatory. .  198 
Myrtilla  Miner  Normal...  285 

Napier,  Nettie  L 180 

National  Association,  The.  192 
National  Negro  Business 

League    21 1-229 

National  Negro  Business 
League,  First  Meeting. .  215 

Natural  Emotion,  A 314 

Nelson,  A.  D 415-416 

Negro  Races,   Many 307 

Negro,  Meaning  of  term, 
20 ;  Africa  for,  22 ;  Points 
of  Superiority,  25  ;  Phys- 
ical Characteristics  of 
and  Traits,  25 ;  Fidelity, 
27  ;  Insurrection,  47  ; 
Plot,  52;  In  the  Revolu- 
tion, 65-72 ;  Soldiers  in 
Civil  War,  107-129;  Sol- 
diers in  Spanish  War, 
131-144;  Soldiers  in  the 


PACE 

Great  War,  147-166;  Of- 
ficers' Training  Camp, 
149;  Officers,  153,  160; 
Combat  Troops,  153;  Mi- 
gration, 167-175;  In  the 
Mines,  173;  And  the 

Theatre   270-271 

New  Orleans  Univ 298-305 

Noah  15-19 

Northern   Baptists    326 

Nutter,  I.  H 416 

Officers'  Training  Camp. . .   149 
Officers,   Negro    .......  150-160 

O'Kelly,  Berry 242 

Okalona    Industrial    Insti- 
tute      274 

Over  God,  The 310 

Pace,  Henry  H 238 

Page,  Wesley  145 

Palmerston,  Lord  41 

Palmer  Memorial  Institute  286 

Parker,  Theodore 77 

Penny  Savings  Bank 205 

Penn,  I.  G 407,  417 

Pershing,  General 160 

Perry,   H.  E 407,417 

Petersburg,  Siege  of.. 122,  124 

Phelps-Stokes  Fund 221 

Phillips,  Bishop 311 

Phillips,  Wendell    78 

Pickens,  William   238,  418 

Piney  Woods  School 295 

Pinckney    69 

Plantation  Melodies 461-474 

Poro  College    202 

Port  Hudson    120-121 

Powell,  A.  C 420-421 

Powell,  VV.  F 420 

Presbyterian       C  o  n  g  r  e  - 

gationalist   326 

Private     and     Denomina- 
tional Schools    302 

Progress  in  Kansas 244 

Proctor,  H.  H 421 

Public  School  Facilities...  221 

Quakers   74 

Race,   Not   Inferior 14 

Race,  History  of 13 

Randolph,  Florence   423 


INDEX. 


479 


PAGE 

Rankin,  Rev.  John go 

Ransom,  R.  C 424 

Raphael,  Rev 424 

Ray,  Carlotte   200 

Recent      Publications      on 

Education    294 

Red  Cross  Nurses 155 

Religion  and  the  Negro. 307-328 

Religious  Superstition 310 

Religion  in  Slavery 314 

Religion  in  Song 310 

Roberts,  E.  P 421,  425 

Robert  Hungerford  Nor- 
mal    281 

Roberts,  James  T 263-264 

Roberts,  Private   158 

Rodgers,  M.  N 421,  425 

Roman  Catholic  Church. . .  326 

Roman,  C.  V 426,  437 

Roosevelt,  Theodore. . .  162,  168 

Rosenwald,  Julius  168 

Rosenwald  Schools 282 

Ruffin,  Josephine  St.  P 180 

Rust  College 286 

Salem,  John   244 

Sayres,  W.  L 246 

Saxton,  General  Ruf us.  112-113 

Scarborough,  W.  S 427 

School  Question    182 

Scott,  Emmett. . . .  168,  428,  429 

Scott,  Bishop   308 

Separation   23 

Shaw,  Colonel    117-118 

Shem   15 

Sherman,  General 26 

Slave   Breeding   States....     55 

Slave  Trade 32,  40,  45,    58 

Slavery,  33 ;  in  Africa,  33 ; 
Sources  of,  34,  35 ;  in 
Asia,  37 ;  in  Europe,  37 ; 
in  the  New  World,  38; 
Portuguese,  38 ;  Colum- 
bus and  Slavery,  38 ;  in 
the  United  States,  39; 

Religion  in    314 

Smith,  General  124-125 

Smith,  Goodwin    53 

Smith,  W.  V 247 

Smith,  Robert  L 265 


PAGE 

Smith,  Rev.  C.  H  .........  431 

Smith,  E.  E  ..............  431 

Smith,  R.  L  ...........  432,  437 

Song,  Religion  in  .........  316 

Spanish-American   War... 


_ 

Sprague,  Roselia  .........   182 

Statistics    of    the    Great 

War    ..................   158 

Standard     Life    Insurance 

Co  .......  .  .............  239 

State  Supervisors  of  Edu- 

cation   .................  276 

Still,   William    .........  93,    96 

Still,   Charity   ............   101 

Stowe,  Harriet  Beecher.  .83-84 
Suffrage  .................   193 

Sumner,   Charles    ......  81,  IT2 

Simmons,  Roscoe  C  .......    164 

Superstition,  Religious  .....  310 

Swift  Memorial  Institute..  277 
"Talks  for  the  Times".  .23,    47 
Terrell,  Mary  C.  .  .179,  191,  433 
Terrell,  R.  H  .............  434 

Texas  College    ...........  298 

Thomas,  General  L  .......   125 

Thomas,  Jonas  W  ........  248 

Thurman,  Lucy  B  .....  179,  190 

Tobias,  C.  H  .............  434 

Talbcrt,  Mary  B..I/9,  iBi,  433 
Tanner,  Henry  0  .........  433 

Tompkins,  G.  R  ...........  435 

Tribute    to    Negro    Patri- 

otism  ..................   160 

Tribute  to  White  Clubs...   186 
Tribute  to  "The  Friends".   189 
Trotter,  W.  M  ............  435 

Tulane,  V.  H  .............  439 

Tuskegee  Institute  .....  278,  279 

Turner,  C.  H  .............  439 

Tyler,  R.  W  .....  .........  439 

Uncle  Tom's  Cabin  .....  47,    84 

Underground  Railroad  .... 

...............  82,  92,  93,  101 

Valentine,  W.  R  .......  437,  44" 

Vernon,  Wm.  T  ..........  441 

Vincent,  Dr.  V.  C  ........   146 

Virginia  Union  University 

.....................  296,  300 


480 


INDEX. 


Vodery,  W.  H.  B 441 

Voodooism    313 

f  Wagner,  Fort   1 18 

Walker,  Captain   90 

.  Walker,  Mme.  C.  J  .202,  207,  442 

Walker,  Charles  T 442 

!  Williams,  D.   H 449 

Walker,  Maggie 204 

War,  Revolutionary,  65 ; 
Civil,  107;  Spanish- 
American,  131 ;  Great 

War   ......147,  175 

Women,    Negro,    in    Club 

Work    177-209 

Warfield,  W.  A 444 

Washington,  Booker  T... 

22,  225,  444 

Washington,    Mrs.   Booker 

T 176,  179,  2o6\  446 

Washington,  Gen.  George.     71 
We  Are  Rising  (A  Poem)     12 

Welson's  Wharf   122 

Wheatley,  Phyllis  447 

Wheaton,  Frank  J 447 

White,  Clarence  C 172,  447 


PAGE 

Whitlow,  J.  L 237 

Who's  Who  in  America...  329 

Williams,  Bert 151,  449 

Williams,  Sylvania  F 191 

Williams,  A.  W 448,  451 

Williams,  D.  H 449 

Williams,  L.  K 450 

Williams,  R.  A 451,  452 

Wilson,  Henry  86 

Wilson,  Woodrow 160 

Windham  Brothers 351 

Wood,  Rev.  Norman 16 

Wood,  C.  W 451,  453 

Woodson,  C.  G 454 

Work,  Monroe  N 451,  455 

Wright,  H.  R 455 

Wright,  R.  R 456,  457 

Wright,J.  \\ 234 

Wright,  James  M 246 

Yates,  Gov.   Richard 114 

Yates,  Mrs.  J.  Salone..i79,  180 

Yerby,  W.  J 45« 

Y.  M.  C.  A 156 

Young,  Col.  Charles 

153,  459,  46o 


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